UMASS/AMHERST  #" 


312DbbD12332Hafl 


A   Trip 


mjW.    D.    SAYLE 
0±r  19  2  1  : 


O?  MAs„ 


^£«St'* 


DATE  DUE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 
LIBRARY 


F 

2223 
S3 


CARD 


A  Trip  to 

The  Land  of  Romance 


Have  you  gazed  on  naked  grandeur  where  there's  nothing  else  to  gaze  on. 

Set  pieces  and  drop-curtain  scenes  galore. 
Big  mountains  heaved  to  heaven,  which  the  blinding  sunsets  blazon. 

Black  canyons  where  the  rapids  rip  and  roar? 

Have  you  camped  upon  the  foothills,  have  you  galloped  o'er  the  ranges. 
Have  you  roamed  the  arid  sun-lands  through  and  through? 

Have  you  chummed  up  with  the  mesa?      Do  you  know  its  moods  and  changes? 
Then  listen  to  the  Wild  — it's  calling  you. 

Have  you  seen  God  in  His  splendors,  heard  the  text  that  nature  renders? 

(  You'll  never  hear  it  in  the  family  pew.) 
The  simple  things,  the  true  things,  the  silent  men  who  do  things  — 

Then  listen  to  the  Wild  — it's  calling  you. 

Let  us  probe  the  silent  places,  let  us  seek  what  luck  betide  us; 

Let  us  journey  to  a  lonely  land  I  know. 
There's  a  whisper  on  the  night-wind,  there's  a  star  agleam  to  guide  us. 

And  the  Wild  is  calling,  calling  —  let  us  go. 

Robert  W  Service. 


W.    D.    SAYLE 
19  2  1 


LiBRARY 


F 


ii. 


ivintitol,  MASS. 


rpHIS    book    is    lovingly    dedicated    to 

Joanne  Chichester  the  sweetheart  of 

my  youth  and  the  wise,  faithful  counsellor, 

and  steadfast  companion  of  our  married  life. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Boston  Library  Consortium  IVIember  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/triptolandofroma1913sayl 


A  Trip  to 

The  Land  of  Romance 


AS  far  back  as  I  can  remember  I  had  made  up  my  mind  that  before 

/\      going  to  Europe  or  Asia,  I  would  first  visit  the  places  of  interest 

X      A.  on  this  side  of  the  world  and  notwithstanding  my  longing  to 

visit  the  Isle  of  Man,  the  cradle  of  my  ancestors,  I  have  adhered  strictly 

to   the    'America   First"    idea. 

It  has  been  my  privilege  to  have  visited  every  state  and  territory 
in  the  Union  including  Porto  Rico  and  Alaska  and  also  the  greater  part 
of  Canada,  Mexico,  the  West  Indies,  Cuba  and  the  Canal  Zone,  but 
it  was  not  until  now  that  I  had  the  offer  of  a  trip  to  the  interior  of  South 
America  and  I  was  not  slow  in  taking  advantage  of  this  opportunity 
for  a  trip  below  the  equator  and  a  visit  to  our  southern  sister  republics, 
the  most  of  whom  were  at  one  time  colonies  of  Spain. 

This  was  to  be  a  trip  of  approximately  ninety  days  duration  during 
which  time  I  would  be  lost  as  far  as  business  was  concerned,  from  all 
activities  at  home  and  at  a  time  when  a  business  man  should  be  especially 
attuned  to  the  changing  conditions  during  and  following  the  after  adjust- 
ments of  the  great  world  war  so  that  it  was  no  small  task  to  foresee 
and  adjust  matters  in  such  a  manner  that  the  business  in  which  I  was 
interested  could  continue  its  harmonious  course  as  well  or  better  while 
I  was  away  than  it  would  if  I  remained  at  home.  With  this  in  mind 
I  commenced  early  in  December  to  adjust  and  plan  for  the  future. 
I  also  read  as  much  as  possible  regarding  the  countries  I  was  to  visit 
so  that  I  would  have  some  idea  of  the  life  which  would  be  mine  for  the 
period  of  the  trip. 

When  Mrs.  Sayle  and  I  walked  up  the  gang  plank,  we  knew  full 
well  that  all  bridges  were  down  and  there  would  be  no  return  until 

"page  five 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


the  schedule  was  finished,  so  with  resignation  and  great  expectations 
for  the  future,  we  entered  the  apartments  which  were  to  be  our  home 
for  a  considerable  portion  of  the  trip. 

The  first  period  of  the  trip  was  taken  on  board  the  S.  S.  Aeolus, 
a  fine  ship  belonging  to  the  United  States  Shipping  Board,  and  operated 
under  the  fleet  flag  of  Munson  &  Co.  It  gave  us  much  pride  and  satis- 
faction to  know  that  we  were  privileged  to  sail  under  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  and  on  the  second  voyage  that  this  good  ship  had  sailed  since 
it  had  been  reconstructed  by  the  Shipping  Board.  The  Aeolus  was 
originally  a  German  ship  named  the  Grosser  Kurfurst  which,  after  being 
taken  over  by  the  United  States  when  war  was  declared  on  Germany, 
was  used  as  a  transport.  After  the  armistice,  it  was  remodeled  by 
American  workmen  and  rechristened  Aeolus. 

All  visitors  ashore,  lines  were  cast  off  and  the  ship  moved  slowly 
and  quietly  away  from  the  dock,  while  we  abroad  were  waving  Goodbye 
to  those  of  our  friends  who  could  come  to  see  us  off.  Before  the 
ship  had  made  much  progress,  a  dense  fog  settled  down  on  the 
harbor  so  that  our  Captain  was  compelled  to  anchor  near  the  Statue 
of  Liberty  which  could  be  seen  as  a  misty  illumination  towering  above 
its  base,  a  guarantee  of  equal  opportunity  and  a  just  conipensation 
for  energies  expended  to  all  who  seek  these  shores. 

It  was  not  until  early  morning  when  the  fog  raised  that  we  weighed 
our  anchor  and  started  for  the  open  sea.  Out  thru  Ambrose  Channel, 
that  gigantic  ditch  through  which  the  deepest  draft  ships  may  enter 
New  York  Harbor  without  danger  and  which  permits  of  protection 
in  times  of  war  so  that  no  hostile  craft  may  enter. 

We  soon  reached  the  open  sea  and  much  to  our  surprise  took  a 
course  southeast  instead  of  south,  a  course  that  brought  us  east  of  the 
Bermuda  Islands  and  many  miles  outside  of  the  West  Indies  almost 
as  far  east  as  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  Straight  as  the  crow  flies,  we 
traveled  for  eleven  days  before  we  passed  the  nose  of  the  Lion,  Cape 
St.  Roque,  the  most  eastern  point  of  South  America,  then  we  began 
curving  to  the  west  sighting  land  for  the  first  time  since  leaving  New 
York  and  being  close  enough  to  distinguish  the  City  of  Peranbuco, 
Brazil. 

Eleven  days,  carefree,  delightful,  full  of  fun  and  quickly  passed. 
Of  course,  we  had  rough  weather  at  times  with  the  usual  quartering 
wind  which  lifted  the  tops  off  the  meeting  waves  and  sent  them  spatter- 
ing over  the  decks.  Beautiful,  moonlight,  tropical  nights  almost  as 
bright  as  day  with  phosphorescent  lights  playing  on  the  waves  and  a 
great  silver  moon  shining  from  a  clear  sky.     On  these  nights,  it  was 

page  six 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Deck  Games 


Neptune  and  his  Retinue 


page  seven 


THE    LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


hard  to  leave  the  deck  for  rest  in  our  cabins.  Many  refused  to  leave 
so  they  took  their  mattresses  out  on  the  hatch  covers  and  there  enjoyed 
the  scene  until  they  were  overcome  by  sleep. 

Passing  the  Equator  is  a  long  time  honored  event  and  was  not 
overlooked  by  passengers  or  crew,  each  section  having  a  number  of 
Neophytes  who  must  according  to  custom  be  initiated  into  that  great 
company  of  globe  trotters  and  be  properly  introduced  to  Father 
Neptune,  the  ruler  of  the  sea. 

Promptly  on  reaching  the  Equator,  Father  Neptune  with  his 
daughter  and  retinue  consisting  of  a  barber,  guards,  a  doctor  and  other 
satellites  came  over  the  side  of  the  ship  and  was  welcomed  by  the 
Commander  as  the  vessel  crossed  the  line.  After  courtesies  had  been 
exchanged,  the  command  of  the  vessel  was  turned  over  to  Neptune 
who  immediately  called  before  him  all  persons  who  had  not  been  accept- 
ed into  the  Order  of  the  Grand  High  Chief  of  the  Deep  Blue  Sea.  After 
an  impressive  speech  calling  their  attention  to  the  dryness  of  the  country 
which  they  had  left  and  congratulating  them  on  having  good  sense 
enough  to  leave  while  there  was  a  plentiful  supply  elsewhere,  he  orders 
his  Doctor  to  examine  the  candidates  to  ascertain  if  they  are  sound 
of  wind  and  limb,  free  from  rum  or  rheumatics,  spavin,  tick,  hairlip, 
crusty,  crabbed,  lame,  halt  or  blind,  hardening  of  the  arteries  or  tighten- 
ing of  the  purse  strings  "and  if  afflicted  with  none  of  these,  then  let 
the  poor  boob  be  shaved  and  trimmed  in  due  and  ancient  form  so  that 
he  may  be  in  fit  state  to  enter  the  realms  of  His  Majesty,  King  Neptune." 

After  this  charge,  the  Doctor  examined  each  candidate  giving  such 
prescriptions  as  were  needed  and  after  the  candidate  was  carefully 
lathered  and  shaved  by  the  barber,  he  was  ceremoniously  passed  thru 
a  perfectly  thorough  wetting. 

The  performance  is  perfectly  harmless  and  was  entered  into  with 
a  spirit  of  fun  by  all.  Among  the  candidates  were  several  young  ladies 
who  were  "game  to  the  core"  and  I  am  sure  they  enjoyed  the  perfor- 
mance as  much  as  it  was  enjoyed  by  the  audience. 

Each  candidate  was  given  a  certificate  or  diploma  as  a  record  and 
identification.  We  who  served  as  guards  or  in  other  capacities,  envied 
the  recipients.  In  fact  I  was  waiting  and  hoping  that  the  others  would 
grab  the  Captain  of  the  Guards  and  give  him  the  full  course.  If  this 
had  happened,  then  a  copy  of  his  certificate  could  have  been  displayed 
here.  Well,  I  guess  Neptune  would  not  permit  any  of  his  selected 
retinue  to  be  disturbed  so  I  must  with  permission  show  a  copy  of  the 
certificate  of  a  "good  sport"  who  was  always  there  when  her  name 
was   called. 

page  eight 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Friend  Charlie 


page  nine 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


-™;^^i«;i5-;5~XiS    ,ii^^v 


Rio  de  Janeiro  from  Hotel  Plaza 


From  Roof  looking  towards  Pas  d'Assucar 


page  twelve 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


above.      The  uneven  forest  clad    mountains   forming    a    background 
reaching  almost  to  the  starry  canopy  above. 

We  landed  early  the  next  morning  and  arranged  for  accomodations 
at  the  Palace  Hotel,  a  fine  place,  well  operated  and  beautifully  located 
on  the  Avenida  Rio  Brancs  about  two-thirds  the  distance  from  the  Zona 
dos  Armazens  to  Praia  da  Lapa.  This  Avenida  is  a  beautiful  boulevard 
extending  across  the  business  section  of  the  city  from  the  inner  harbor 
or  anchorage  to  the  outer  or  residential  section  of  the  harbor  shore.  It 
is  paved  with  asphalt  and  has  a  park  or  safety  zone  down  the  center. 
Most  peculiar  and  sometimes  bewildering  is  the  sidewalk  pave- 
ment which  is  done  in  Mosaic,  the  designs  being  carried  with  black 
pieces  in  a  background  of  white.  The  designs  are  sometimes  very 
elaborate  and  pleasing  while  some  of  them  are  arranged  in  such  a  way  as 
to  confuse  and  as  one  looks  ahead  he  sees  the  path  either  in  waves, 
hollow  in  center  or  raised  as  the  optical  illusion  appears.  One  design 
may  be  a  set  piece,  the  next  a  geometrical  design  while  others  may  be  a 
design  to  cause  an  optical  illusion.  Out  along  the  bay  shore,  there  is 
a  wave  design  which  gives  you  the  impression  that  you  are  walking 
over  an  undulating  surface  and  one  really  steps  high  in  order  to  avoid 
stumbling. 

Crossing  the  Avenida  at  right  angle  east  and  west  are  the  main 
streets  of  the  city,  containing  the  shops  and  business  section.  The 
streets  are  all  well  paved  and  clean  and  some  of  them  such  as  the  Rua 
Ouvidor,  the  sidewalks  of  which  are  laid  with  tile,  are  only  open  for 
foot    passengers. 

The  native  Brazilian  quite  proudly  says: 
"Nao  diga  que  vin  cidade  conita  sem  ver  o  Rio  primeiro." 
"Say  not  beautiful  city  until  you  have  first  seen  Rio." 
And    I    quite  agree  with  them  as  it  is  without  doubt,  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  cities  in  the  world,  beautiful  as  a  city  and  beautiful  in 
its  setting  of  ocean,  bay  and  towering  verdure  clad  mountains. 

There  are  many  surprisingly  delightful  trips  which  may  be  taken 
by  automobile,  others  by  cog  railway  and  others  by  train  so  that  two 
weeks  in  this  beautiful  section  can  be  profitably  passed  without  repeating. 
Our  first  day  was  spent  in  driving  about  the  city  and  nearby  parks. 
The  Avenida  Mangue  with  its  quadruple  row  of  Royal  Palms  lining  the 
banks  of  a  canal  which  was  built  many  years  ago  to  drain  a  portion 
of  the  city.  This  Avenida  has  now  been  extended  across  a  filled-in 
section  to  the  location  of  the  new  docks  so  that  it  must  be  at  least  two 
miles  long,  running  west  about  a  mile  then  turning  at  right  angle  to  the 
north  over  the  new  filled-in  section  which  was  formerly  a  part  of  the  bay. 

page  thirteen 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


Jardin  Botanique 


page  fourteen 


THE    LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Praca  da  Republica  is  a  large  park  located  in  the  center  of  the 
city,  well  laid  out  with  drives,  paths  and  artistic  lakes. 

Here  are  many  beautiful  birds  and  animals.  Cutia,  a  crane  like 
bird  with  feather  crest  which  resembles  a  thistle — geese  with  long  snake 
like  necks  that  should  bother  them  in  an  attempt  to  locate  the  head 
and  if  their  sense  of  taste  is  distributed  its  entire  length,  a  good  morsel 
must  have  a  lasting  effect.  The  Pacca,  a  reddish  brown  animal  like 
a  tailless  rat  only  much  larger,  hopping  about  like  a  rabbit. 

Trees  in  endless  variety.  Everywhere  we  see  rustic  bridges,  log 
seats,  fountains  and  numerous  other  objects  all  made  from  cement 
but  so  well  made  that  it  requires  careful  examination  to  detect  the 
substitution. 

Who  has  not  heard  of  the  Botanical  Gardens  of  Rio,  Jardim  Botanico 
with  its  century  old  bamboos  and  its  Royal  Palm  Avenue  extending 
from  the  entrance  back  to  the  very  base  of  the  towering  mountains 
which  form  the  background,  a  double  row  of  Royal  Palms,  a  century 
old  towering  to  the  sky.?  As  the  fronds,  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above, 
swing  in  the  gentle  breeze,  they  seem  like  giant  feather  dusters,  brushing 
the  cobwebs  from  the  sky. 

The  royal  palm  is  not  native  to  Brazil;  the  original  mother  palm 
which  one  may  see,  having  been  brought  from  the  West  Indies  by  Dom 
Joao  VI  in  1808.  The  palms  thrive  better  here  than  in  any  other  part 
of  the  world  and  for  that  reason  one  may  see  their  feathery  tops  sway- 
ing everywhere  above  the  sky  line. 

Quinta  da  Boa  Vista,  a  magnificient  park  well  located  to  the  north 
of  the  business  section  and  on  an  elevation  which  affords  beautiful 
views  over  the  city  and  bay.  This  site  was  formerly  the  estate  of  Dom 
Joao  VI  and  the  beautiful  building  which  was  formerly  his  residence, 
is  now  used  as  a  National  Museum. 

There  are  many  other  Parks  and  Gardens  on  the  Avenidas  bordering 
the  bay  and  ocean,  many  of  them  ornamented  with  monuments  to  the 
memory  of  the  great  men  of  the  country  while  others  have  beautifully 
sculptured  allegorical  groups.  Adjacent  to  the  Praia  da  Gloria  is  one 
of  these  groups  which  is  indeed  a  remarkable  work  of  art,  being  a  repro- 
duction of  a  painting  sculptured  in  white  marble.  These  words  are 
chiseled  on  its  base  "HOMENAGEM  de  ADRIANO  RAMOS  PINTO 
e  IRMAO  ao  BRAZIL" 

The  views  overlooking  the  city,  the  surrounding  hills,  ocean  and 
bay  are  entrancing  and  can  never  be  viewed  often  enough  to  lose  interest. 
It  may  not  be  amiss  for  me  to  give  a  short  description  of  a  few  of  the 

page  fifteen 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Fonte  Pinto  Ramos 


page  sixteen 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


View  of  Pao  de  Assucar 


Avenida  Beira  Mar  taken  from  Assucar 


page  seventeen 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


many  excursions  which  one  may  take  any  one  of  which  is  perhaps  un- 
surpassed by  any  other  view  in  the  world. 

You  may  procure  an  automobile  at  a  stipulated  price  for  the  trip 
or  at  the  price  of  three  milreis  (forty  eight  cents  at  present  rate  of  ex- 
change) per  hour.  A  short  drive  down  Avenida  Rio  Blanca  passing 
on  the  way  Theatro  Municipal,  Estatua  Marechal  Florino  Peixoto 
and  Placio  Monroe,  you  enter  the  beautiful  shore  drive  Avenida  Beira 
Mar  which  follows  the  shore  line  for  several  miles  passing  on  the  way 
Mt.  Gloria,  the  gardens  of  the  Palacio  da  Presidente  and  many  monu- 
ments, hospitals  and  institutions  of  local  and  national  interest.  You 
soon  arrive  at  the  Praca  Do  Exposicao  De  1908. 

The  exposition  buildings  are  not  now  in  use  and  therefore,  are 
not  in  good  repair.  Here  you  dismiss  your  chauffeur  and  ascend  a 
few  steps  to  the  surface  station  of  the  Aerial  Ropeway  which  reaches 
by  two  flights  the  top  of  Pao  d'  Assucar  or  Sugar  Loaf,  twelve  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea  which  incessantly  thunders  at  its  base.  You  enter 
the  car  in  waiting  and  start  on  an  aerial  trip,  swaying  slightly  in  the 
gentle  breeze  but  quiet  and  pleasing  as  you  gaze  down  on  the  receeding 
landscape. 

Urea,  the  mid-station  is  soon  reached  and  after  a  short  walk,  you 
enter  the  car  which  is  to  take  you  sailing  over  the  forests  a  thousand 
feet  below.  To  the  left  is  the  bay  and  to  the  right  is  the  restless  ocean. 
Down  to  the  left  is  a  small  neck  of  land  on  which  may  be  seen  the  first 
Portuguese  settlement  of  Rio  de  Janeiro  (River  of  January)  founded 
by  Estacio  de  Sa  in  the  year  1565  and  so  called  because  he  supposed 
that  the  great  stretch  of  water  was  the  mouth  of  a  mighty  river  instead 
of  a  mountain  enclosed  arm  of  the  ocean.  On  the  day  of  our  visit  this 
ride  was  indeed  a  real  "trip  to  the  clouds"  for  as  soon  as  we  reached  the 
station  at  the  top,  a  cloud  brushed  its  featherly  dampness  above  and 
below,  blotting  out  all  views  which  we  were  so  thoroughly  enjoying 
but  the  clouds  soon  passed  and  we  were  again  permitted  to  feast  our  eyes 
on    the    beauties    displayed    below. 

Assucar  is  a  bare  uplift  of  rock  which  has  withstood  the  ravages  of 
the  past  and  will  undoubtedly,  remain  for  all  time  as  a  loaf  of  insoluble 
sugar. 

Perhaps  your  interest  may  be  centered  in  the  old  Aqueduct  and 
a  cup  of  tea  at  the  International  Hotel,  a  summer  resort  resting  on  a 
cliff,  half  way  up  the  montainside,  therefore,  you  enter  an  electric 
car  at  the  Largo  do  Carioca,  one  block  to  the  rear  of  the  Avenida  Hotel. 

The  Largo  do  Carioca  is  a  fair  sized  reservoir  and  the  city  terminal 

page  eighteen 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Aqueducto  crossing  Valley 


Aqueducto  near  the  highest  spring 


page  nineteen 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


of  the  old  Aq  deduct,  it  being  fitted  with  many  faucets  from  which  in 
olden  times  the  people  of  the  city  drew  their  water  supply. 

This  part  of  the  old  water  system  while  still  in  use,  yet  is  now  more 
of  a  monument  than  a  utility. 

Here  you  enter  electric  cars  and  start  the  climb  from  the  city  up 
above  the  business  section.  Skirting  the  side  of  Mt.  de  Sto.  Antonio 
you  soon  pass  out  onto  the  old  Aqueduct  now  a  viaduct  which  crosses 
the  valley  between  Sto.  Antonio  and  Curvello.  This  old  Aqueduct  is  a 
wonderful  feat  of  engineering  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was  built  in  the 
eighteenth  century.  It  was  used  to  carry  the  water  across  the  valley 
and  into  the  city  and  is  the  most  interesting  part  of  the  old  water  system 
now  intact.  The  top  of  the  Aqueduct  was  constructed  as  a  large  trough 
with  sides  about  four  feet  high  so  that  it  would  appear  that  this  trough 
was  used  as  a  reservoir  or  reserve  supply  for  water  during  its  use.  The 
electric  cars  were  built  so  that  they  may  just  pass  thru  the  trough  in 
which  the  water  formerly  flowed. 

Winding  around  Mt.  do  Curvello,  the  road  ascends  at  easy  grades 
up  into  the  Santa  Thereza  Mountains  following  the  path  of  the  old 
waterway  now  named  the  Rua  Aqueducto  until  it  reaches  the  Hotel 
International  which  is  perched  high  on  a  rocky  cliff  above  the  railway 
and  may  be  reached  by  steps  or  by  a  lift  electrically  operated. 

The  trip  is  a  delightful  one  as  you  have  many  vistas  of  the  moun- 
tains, the  sides  of  which  are  covered  with  many  shades  of  green  inter- 
spersed with  splotches  of  white  Tanfa,  yellow  Ciprasta,  purple  Azalia 
and  Bougan villa  and  with  closer  views  of  the  Accatia  with  its  grape 
like  clusters  of  yellow  flowers.  Royal  Poncianna,  Poincetta.  Roses  and 
many  other  flowering  shrubs  and  trees  which  grow  luxuriantly  and 
with   a   perfect   riot   of   color. 

The  view  overlooking  Silvestre  and  towering  Corcovado  beyond 
would  be  incomparable  anywhere  else  but  at  Rio,  the  city  of  kaleido- 
scopic views.  As  you  look  across  the  valley  at  Corcovado,  you  may 
wish  to  enjoy  the  views  permitted  from  its  towering  peak  so  the  next 
day  unable  to  resist  the  temptation  of  this  trip,  you  take  an  automobile 
and  drive  out  to  the  Estacao  Inicial  do  Corcovado  and  there  enter  the 
spacious  car  of  the  cog  railway  which  ascends  steep  grades  on  the  trip 
to  a  point  just  below  the  summit  of  this  towering  peak.  The  roadway 
is  cut  thru  a  dense  forest  so  that  you  are  riding  in  a  gorge  of  green. 
Beautiful  butterflies  flutter  across  the  right-of-way  or  are  wafted  about 
by  the  air  currents,  among  the  towering  trees  on  either  side.  Air  plants 
cling  to  the  branches  of  all  trees  and  great  vines  and  creepers  hang  in 
profusion. 

page  twenty 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


View  from  Corcovado  above  the  Clouds 


Chineza  Yista  Tijuca 


page  twenty-one 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


You  reach  the  summit  by  a  flight  of  steps  and  here  find  a  shelter 
house  and  a  viewpoint  built  of  concrete  on  the  edge  of  the  cliff  which 
drops  down  a  thousand  feet  and  then  slopes  abruptly  to  Lagoa  Rodrigo 
de  Freitas,  a  fresh  water  lake  just  above  the  level  of  the  ocean.  On  the 
day  we  were  there,  the  clouds  were  low,  many  of  them  floating  hundreds 
of  feet  down,  spraying  the  forests  with  moisture  and  temporarily  shutting 
out  all  views  below.  Above  the  clouds,  the  sun  was  shining  and  thru 
the  clouds  its  light  reached  the  sea  and  land  below.  Off  to  the  east, 
Urea  was  almost  continuously  hidden  while  now  and  then  the  rocky 
point  of  Assucar  would  reach  above  the  clouds  and  shine  in  the  after- 
noon sunlight. 

Here  you  may  stand  and  watch  the  sun  sinking  in  the  west, 
and  before  its  golden  ball  has  passed  below  the  water  horizon,  you  may 
turn  to  the  left  and  watch  the  lights  blinking  at  you  from  the  city  below 
as  the  dwellers  prepare  for  the  darkness  which  soon  settles  over  the  city. 

Just  before  the  highest  point  of  the  railway  is  reached,  you  may 
stop  at  the  Hotel  Corcovado,  Estacion  Corcovado  e  Paineiras  and  walk 
out  to  the  commencement  of  the  old  Aqueducto.  This  station  is  several 
hundred  feet  below  the  top  of  Corcovado  and  is  near  the  highest 
spring  from  which  water  was  taken  and  where  the  old  Aqueducto  started 
in  its  descent  into  the  city.  The  trough  is  still  in  use  carrying  water 
down  the  mountainside  in  a  swift  flowing  stream.  The  foliage  is  dense 
and  the  air  is  heavy  with  moisture.  The  old  Aqueduct  is  moss  grown 
and  discolored  with  age.  The  trough  in  which  the  water  flows  is, 
however,  clean  and  the  water  fresh  and  pure. 

If  you  have  not  seen  enough,  then  visit  Tijuca  from  the  towering 
summit  of  which  you  may  view  the  surrounding  country  with  the 
horizon  far  beneath  and  faded  into  the  distance  beyond.  This  trip  is 
made  by  automobile  and  an  entire  day  should  be  given  to  it  and  a 
clear  day  should  if  possible,  be  selected.  This  day  looks  fine  so  we  will 
start. 

We  enter  a  high  powered  automobile  as  early  as  convenient  as 
this  is  to  be  a  real  day  of  toil  and  sightseeing.  Passing  thru  the  city, 
we  climb  and  twist  up  the  mountain  passing  thru  several  villages  before 
we  reach  the  Cascatinha,  a  small  stream  of  pure  water  which  dashes 
down  over  the  rocks  making  a  very  beautiful  cascade.  Again  we  climb 
zig  zag  up  the  mountain  reaching  Meza  do  Imperador  where  a  beautiful 
view  is  had  of  Corcovado  and  other  peaks  to  the  south,  not  an  open  view 
but  one  framed  in  trees,  shrubs  and  flowers.  On  up  the  mountain  we 
climb  soon  reaching  the  Vista  Chineza  where  a  shelter  has  been  built 
in  imitation  bamboo  made  of  cement.  Here  are  views  to  the  south- 
page  twenty-two 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


east  and  east  of  Urea,  Asucar  and  Corcovado  with  the  sea  dashing  and 
tumbling  on  the  beaches  far  below.  To  the  west  and  in  the  distance  is 
the  open  Atlantic  dotted  with  islands  partially  concealed  by  the  fleecy 
clouds   passing   to   the   south. 

No  matter  where  you  turn,  you  may  look  upon  forest  clad  moun- 
tains towering  above  the  city,  green  and  gold  surmounting  the  kaleido- 
scope of  clustering  homes  far  below — the  sea,  dark  green,  brightened 
here  and  there  and  shading  up  to  a  dazzling  white  when  it  dashes  and 
scatters  foam  on  the  sand  beaches  and  rockbound  coast  below. 

You  surely  are  satisfied  with  these  wonderful  views  so  we  enter 
our  automobile  for  the  return  down  the  opposite  side  of  the  mountain 
passing  thru  several  villages  and  a  place  of  unique  nature  called  Furnas. 
Here  is  a  great  mass  and  tumble  of  giant  rocks  forming  caves,  temples 
and  grottoes  while  dashing  down  from  the  mountain  among  these 
natural  formations  is  a  clear  cool  mountain  stream.  On  down  the 
mountain  we  glide  and  soon  the  broad  Atlantic  comes  into  view  and 
we  ride  for  several  miles  on  an  artificial  shelf  hewn  from  the  mountain- 
side and  from  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  feet  above  the  white  capped 
sea  and  foam  covered  rocks  below.  Under  the  towering  Gavea  Rock, 
we  pass  along  Avenidas  Niemeyer,  Gavea  Leblou,  Ipanema  and  Atlan- 
tica,  all  hugging  the  shore.  We  drive  thru  a  tunnel  and  reach  Avenida 
Beira  Mar  as  the  electric  lights  are  shining  marking  the  outline  of  the 
shore. 

A  trip  to  Nictheroy,  the  capital  of  the  state  of  Rio  de  Janeiro 
should  be  taken.  The  ferry  starts  from  Pharoux  at  frequent  intervals 
and  it  is  a  nice  trip  directly  east  across  the  bay.  On  the  left  as  you 
pass  out,  you  may  see  Villegaignou,  a  rock  island  on  which  the  adventur- 
ous Frenchman  Nicolas  Durand  de  Villegaignou  landed  with  a  band 
of  Hugenots  during  the  year  1555.  Here  was  held  the  first  Protestant 
service  in  the  new  world,  sixty -five  years  before  the  Pilgrims  landed  at 
Plymouth   Rock 

Nichteroy  with  a  population  of  forty  thousand  is  soon  reached  and 
you  find  a  quiet  pleasing  town  with  well  paved  streets,  handsome  public 
buildings  and  pretty  squares.  At  the  landing  you  may  take  electric 
cars  for  a  trip  about  the  city  or  continue  on  thru  and  over  the  hills 
around  sharp  curves  and  along  a  shelf  cut  from  the  steep  hillside  to 
Bahia  do  Sao  Francisco.  At  the  end  of  the  car  line  you  reach  a  little 
park  and  bathing  beach.  Up  on  a  hill  above  the  bay,  you  may  visit 
an  old  church  of  typical  mission  architecture.  In  front  of  the  church 
on  the  edge  of  the  cliff  is  a  rocklike  structure  built  of  cement,  called 
Gruta  de  Nossa  Senhora  de  Lourdes.     This  artificial  grotto  is  embellished 

page  twenty-three 


THE    LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


in  the  usual  religious  fashion,  appealing  to  those  of  the  Catholic  faith 
who  wish  to  be  relieved  of  physical  or  mental  ailments  or  who  wish  to 
render  service  to  their  loved  ones.  There  are  places  where  candles 
may  be  placed  and  burned  and  places  where  prayers  may  be  said.  While 
we  were  there,  a  dark  skinned  man  of  African  type  was  industriously 
trying  to  keep  a  candle  burning,  which  he  had  placed,  but  the  wind  was 
so  strong  that  his  efforts  were  wasted,  so  he  finally  gave  it  up  and  with 
a  smile  turned  away,  undoubtedly,  with  the  hope  that  some  friend 
would  light  it  later  and  that  its  burning  would  bring  the  desired  results. 

Back  of  the  church  was  a  bar  where  all  kinds  of  drinks  were  served 
and  just  below  the  hill  upon  which  the  church.  Grotto  and  bar  were 
located  was  a  small  Praca  Publico  in  which  several  gambling  games 
were  being  run  full  blast  and  as  usual  lottery  tickets  were  being  sold 
by  several  industrious  vendors.  This  appeared  to  be  a  fit  location  for 
a  church  but  inasmuch  as  the  church  was  built  over  four  hundred  years 
ago,  it  would  be  optimistic  indeed  to  imagine  that  its  influence  on  th^ 
surrounding  territory  would  be  felt  in  the  near  future. 

Beautiful  views  may  be  enjoyed  across  the  bay  thru  openings 
in  the  hills  and  to  the  ocean  beyond. 

There  are  many  mountain  trips  such  as  are  here  briefly  mentioned. 
Novo  Friburgo,  a  Swiss  colony,  Therezopolis,  both  at  an  elevation  of 
3000  ft.  with  beautiful  views  and  so  many  others  that  many  days  may 
be  delightfully  employed  in  journeys  to  them.  If  your  time  is  limited 
I  would  suggest  as  a  final  excursion  that  you  visit  Petropolis  the  summer 
capitol,  as  there  the  Emperor  had  his  summer  home  and  estate  and 
many  diplomats  and  wealthy  people  have  their  places  of  retreat  from 
the  summer  heat  of  the  lowlands. 

You  can  secure  accomodations  on  a  fairly  good  train  from  the 
city  over  the  Leopoldia  Railway.  After  travelling  several  miles  over 
the  plain  and  then  winding  around  and  over  the  foothills  of  the  Serra 
da  Estrella,  Praia  Formosa  is  reached  where  engines  are  changed  employ- 
ing the  cog  third  rail  from  there  up  to  Alto  de  Serra.  The  ascent  is 
delightful,  climbing  steep  grades,  up  into  the  mountains,  the  air  getting 
cooler  and  the  scenery  as  you  wind  about  and  ever  up  indescribable, 
luxuriant  vegetation,  trees,  trailing  vines,  rocks  and  waterfalls  with 
now  and  then  a  glimpse  of  the  sea. 

At  Alto  de  Serra,  engines  are  again  changed  and  the  remainder  of 
the  journey  is  made  in  the  regular  railway  manner. 

Petropolis  was  founded  as  an  agricultural  colony  in  1845  by  a  band 
of  several  hundred  German  immigrants.  Soon,  however,  on  account 
of  its  delightful  location  and  pure  air  it  became  the  headquarters  of 


page  twenty-four 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


Dom  Pedro 


page  twenty-five 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


the  Diplomatic  Corps,  the  members  of  which  selected  this  point  as 
a  retreat  on  account  of  yellow  fever  epidemics  which  were  quite  frequent 
in  Rio  up  to  the  year  1903,  at  which  time  a  plan  for  the  reconstruction 
and  rebuilding  of  the  city  and  docks  was  adopted  and  put  vigorously 
into  effect  by  President  Rodriques  Alves. 

It  was  at  Petropolis  that  Dom  Pedro  II,  the  last  Emperor  of  Brazil, 
had  his  Crystal  Palace  and  Garden  which  are  now  in  disuse  and  it  is 
here  that  the  bronze  mounument  erected  to  a  ruler  whom  all  join  in 
proclaiming  a  real  man  and  Emperor,  can  be  seen. 

Down  the  center  of  the  main  boulevard  of  this  town  runs  a  mountain 
stream  confined  within  banks  built  of  stone  and  cement,  lined  with 
stately  trees,  shrubs  and  trailing  vines.  Here  also  are  the  outlines 
of  a  great  Cathedral  started  by  the  Queen  but  now  in  a  semi-finished 
condition. 

During  our  visit  to  Petropolis  we  lunched  at  a  restaurant  operated 
by  a  German  named  Max  Meyer  who  told  us  of  his  experience  during 
the  Anti-Teutonic  riots  in  Brazil  and  showed  us  photographs  of  his 
furniture  and  fixtures  dumped  into  the  canal,  but  notwithstanding  his 
misfortune,  he  is  starting  again  with  such  of  the  articles  as  he  was  able 
to  gather  from  the  wreckage.  His  good  Frau  presided  over  the  kitchen 
and  served  us  with  good  palatable  German  cooked  foods.  When  we 
considered  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyers  many  misfortunes,  we  were  reminded 
of  the  old  saying  "Little  minds  are  tamed  and  subdued  by  misfortune, 
but  great  minds  rise  above  it." 

Rio,  the  Beautiful,  is  destined  to  be  more  beautiful  as  the  years 
pass  and  the  plans  of  the  engineers  are  carried  out,  streets  are  being 
widened  and  hills  are  being  razed  and  the  earth  used  to  fill  in  low  places. 
Adjoining  our  hotel,  so  close  that  you  could  almost  jump  from  the  roof 
garden  to  the  church  of  Sao  Sebastiao,  built  during  the  years  1567 
to  1583,  is  Morro  Castello  a  hill,  a  historical  landmark  which  is  doomed 
and  will  soon  be  leveled  and  forgotten. 

Beautiful  Rio  de  Jenerio,  I  join  the  lovers  of  the  city  in  this  com- 
mand. 

"Nao  diga  que  vin  cidade  conita  sem  ver  o  Rio  primeiro." 

After  an  early  breakfast,  we  made  ready  to  leave  beautiful  Rio 
de  Janeiro  taking  a  special  car  on  the  Estranda  de  Ferro  Central  do 
Brazil  for  our  trip  inland  to  Sao  Paulo.  Our  accommodations  were 
very  good,  an  open  space  with  large  comfortable  wicker  chairs  and 
two  compartments  similarly  equipped.  This  railway  is  owned  and 
operated  by  the  Brazilian  Government  and  we  received  every  attention 
and  very  courteous  treatment.     The  cars  of  this  railway  were  clean, 

page  twenty-six 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Some  of  the  Party  who  made 
the  Trip 


page  twenty-seven 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


the  seats  were  generally  equipped  with  fresh  wicker  cushions  and  the 
train  was  drawn  by  an  American  built  locomotive. 

Starting  out  from  the  station,  we  traveled  along  the  valley  with 
interesting  views  of  homes  on  either  side,  the  sides  of  the  right  of  way 
in  the  city  being  walled  from  eight  to  ten  feet  high  yet  permitting  views 
from  the  car  windows  of  pleasing  gardens  while  the  unsightly  views 
of  back  yards  and  dumps  so  familiar  to  us  at  home,  were  not  in  evidence. 

Soon  we  reached  the  Cordilleras  Mendas  which  appeared  to  be  a 
great  tumble  of  beautiful  rounded  hills  covered  with  green  and  appear- 
ing to  the  eye  as  excellent  grazing  land.  The  scenery  is  much  like 
California  excepting  that  there  are  no  sunburned  spots.  We  climbed 
around  and  up  among  the  hills  soon  entering  the  first  of  the  eleven 
tunnels  which  we  passed  thru  before  we  entered  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Parahila.  The  views  were  enchanting,  every  shade  of  green  dotted 
here  and  there  with  Nanca  and  the  many  varieties  of  Tanfa  in  full 
bloom  glowing  white,  yellow,  pink  or  purple  in  the  bright  sunlight. 
Beautiful  plumaged  birds  fluttered  away  at  the  approach  of  the  train. 

Quite  near  on  either  side  are  the  higher  peaks  covered  with  fleecy 
clouds.  Manytimes  one  sees  a  foamy  cascade  or  Cascatinha  tumbling 
down  the  mountain  side  framed  and  often  partially  concealed  by  the 
green  verdure  of  the  slopes.  Very  interesting  are  the  homes  of  the 
Cope,  built  from  three  to  four  feet  high  and  baked  so  hard  by  the  heat 
of  the  sun  that  they  look  not  unlike  boulders  scattered  over  a  pasture 
field.  The  Cope  is  an  antlike  insect  and  probably  just  as  much  of  a 
nuisance. 

We  travelled  up  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Parahila  with  towering  cloud 
covered  peaks  on  either  side,  rice  fields  covered  the  lowlands  and  coffee 
plantations  with  their  well  arranged  rows  of  dark  green  trees  or  shrubs 
dotted  the  foothills.  The  sun  was  sinking  behind  the  western  moun- 
tains leaving  gold  and  blue  tints;  purple  mists  gather  in  the  hills,  cool 
breezes  drop  down  from  the  heights  above  and  we  finished  a  journey 
of  about  twelve  hours  as  comfortably  as  could  be  expected  anywhere 
in  midsummer  heat. 

This  trip,  the  first  for  us  in  Brazil,  was  exceedingly  interesting, 
Great  horned  oxen  pulled  the  crude  two  wheeled  carts  loaded  with  wood, 
stone  or  bags  of  coffee,  wheels  of  the  solid  type  and  much  to  our  surprise 
equipped  with  very  narrow  treads.  The  great  horned  brutes  were 
yoked  humanely  and  in  teams  of  two,  four  or  six.  The  teamster  seldom 
rides  and  can  he  seen  trudging  along  beside  the  team,  his  great  bare 
feet  splattering  in  the  mud.  At  the  stations  you  see  the  Brazillian 
fully  clothed  in  vest  and  coat  sweltering  in  the  heat  as  it  would  be  quite 

page  twenty-eight 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


Sao  Paulo  from  Hotel 


page  twenty-nine 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


improper  for  him  to  appear  in  public  without  being  fully  equipped  with 
both  coat  and  vest. 

Sao  Paulo  is  the  Capitol  of  the  state  of  Sao  Paulo  and  is  the  most 
important  city  in  Brazil  in  manufacturing  and  merchandising  and  only 
second  to  Rio  de  Janeriro  in  population.  It  is  a  thriving  city  of  five 
hundred  thousand  and  while  not  as  clean  as  Rio  yet  it  would  compare 
favorably  with  the  ordinary  city  of  its  size  anywhere. 

The  streets  in  the  older  parts  of  the  business  sections  of  the  city  are 
very  narrow  and  usually  can  only  accomodate  a  single  car  track,  should 
there  be  one  with  a  double  track,  then  the  passengers  get  on  and  off 
right  at  the  curb.  Automobiles  in  this  town  were  chiefly  of  American 
manufacture  and  notwithstanding  the  narrow  streets  were  used  quite 
extensively  and  were  privileged  to  pass  on  either  side  of  the  street  cars, 
in  fact,  they  were  run  where  and  as  fast  as  the  driver  wished. 

A  ride  about  the  city  is  of  unusual  interest.  There  is  the  mansion 
of  the  Governor  of  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo,  a  large,  plain  building  sur- 
rounded by  spacious  grounds,  the  particular  attraction  being  the  large 
Mangieva  trees  which  outline  the  front  of  the  lawn.  These  trees 
are  at  least  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  high  with  a  great  spread 
of  foliage  at  the  top.  The  Municipal  Opera  House  is  a  beautiful  struc- 
ture, well  located  and  facing  a  narrow  valley  which  has  been  beautified 
with  monuments,  shrubs  and  trees. 

Out  in  the  newer  or  residential  sections,  are  several  beautiful  streets, 
Avenida  Angeles  sharing  honors  with  the  Avenida  Paulisto.  Beautiful 
homes  line  these  Avenues  on  both  sides  and  the  Avenues  are  tbe  promen- 
ades for  the  rich  people  of  the  city.  Avenida  Paulista  being  the  newer 
was  entitled  to  be  called  the  better  of  the  two  as  it  was  able  to  display 
newer  and  more  modern  homes.  It  is  at  least  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
feet  wide  and  over  one  and  one  half  miles  long.  The  cement  walks  on 
either  side  are  about  twenty  feet  wide  and  are  blocked  off  in  designs 
with  now  and  then  a  Mosaic.  The  street  is  paved  with  asphalt  with 
double  street  car  tracks  down  the  center  having  an  eight  foot  devil 
strip  between.  This  Avenida  runs  along  the  brow  of  a  ridge  so  that 
on  one  side  between  the  homes  or  down  cross  streets,  beautiful  views 
could  be  obtained  of  the  lowlands  towards  the  river  and  the  mountains 
far  beyond.  On  this  side  is  located  the  public  gardens  sloping  from 
the  street  down  into  the  lowlands.  , 

On  our  way  to  the  Country  Club,  we  turned  off  down  into  the 
lowlands  and  were  surprised  to  see  great  flocks  of  Uroba  Birds  which  are 
not  unlike  our  Buzzards  of  the  south  and  which  are  protected  for  similar 
reasons. 

page  thirty 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Snake  Farm 


Attendant  handling  Snakes 


page  thirty-one 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


A  visit  to  the  snake  farm  is  of  interest  as  this  is  the  only  institution 
of  its  kind  in  the  world.  Here  all  kinds  of  snakes  are  collected,  the 
venomous  in  one  compound  and  the  harmless  in  another.  There  are 
many  species  of  poisonous  snakes  in  Brazil,  the  more  deadly  ones  being 
in  the  north.  There  is  the  rattlesnake  of  the  north  which  secretes  an 
extremely  deadly  poison  and  the  rattlesnake  of  the  south  which  is  about 
as  dangerous  as  our  rattlesnake  of  Florida.  There  are  also  seven  species 
of  the  Lacheis,  a  very  dangerous  enemy  because  it  gives  no  warning 
when  about  to  strike.  The  Orotu  is  extremely  poisonous  but  its  size, 
seven  to  ten  feet,  makes  it  easily  detected. 

The  poison  is  extracted  from  the  poison  glands  by  attendants  at 
the  laboratory.  After  the  desired  snake  has  been  taken  from  the  snake 
house  an  attendant  at  the  opportune  moment  grabs  the  snake  with 
his  bare  hands,  the  left  hand  at  the  neck  and  the  right  hand  about  two- 
thirds  down  the  body.  The  neck  is  held  firmly  by  the  fingers  of  the 
left  hand  while  the  thumb  presses  against  the  rear  of  the  skull,  the 
pressure  forces  the  mouth  open  and  when  the  pressure  is  increased,  the 
fangs  are  forced  into  position,  at  which  time  a  small  bowl  is  placed  so 
as  to  receive  the  poison  when  exuded.  The  poison  is  then  prepared  by 
filteration,  drying  out,  crystalization,  mixing  with  glycerine  and  then 
mixing  with  poison  of  snakes  of  another  specie.  Then  a  horse  is  in- 
oculated and  the  anti-toxin  taken  from  the  horse,  placed  in  vials  and 
sent  to  all  parts  of  the  republic  for  relief  of  the  unfortunates,  thereby 
displacing  completely  the  antidote  known  to  our  writers  of  western 
fiction. 

Slaughtering  of  beef  should  soon  be  a  great  industry  in  Sao  Paulo 
as  Armor  and  Co.  have  just  invested  eight  million  dollars  in  buildings 
and  equipment  and  had  started  butchering  hogs  the  day  we  departed. 
Wilson  &  Co.  have  been  established  in  Sao  Paulo  for  several  years  and 
were  able  to  reap  the  profits  pertaining  to  the  successfully  operated 
meat  industry  for  several  years  past  and  therefore,  are  well  fortified 
to  withstand  the  bad  business  conditions  which  now  prevail. 

The  meat  is  not  of  the  best  American  grade  yet  the  shippers  take 
every  precaution  to  insure  safe  and  sanitary  transport  as  it  is  shipped 
from  here  in  refrigerator  cars  at  28"  F.  and  should  it  arrive  in  Santos, 
the  port  of  over  seas  shipment,  prior  to  the  arrival  of  a  ship,  it  is  immedi- 
ately placed  in  storage  warehouses  where  the  low  temperature  is  main- 
tained. 

We  were  surprised  to  see  many  oxen  with  humps  on  their  fore 
shoulders  and  supposed  that  the  hump  was  caused  by  the  yoke  with 
which  they  are  harnessed  to  pull  the  heavy  loads;  but  were  more  sur- 


page  thirty-two 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


Public  Square  Santos 


page  thirty-three 


THE    LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


prised  when  we  learned  that  these  oxen  were  descendants  of  the  Sacred 
Bulls  of  India  which  were  imported  at  great  cost  and  much  diplomacy 
from  India  for  interbreeding  with  the  native  stock.  The  present  results 
point  to  a  successful  experiment  and  the  breeders  expect  within  five 
or  six  years,  to  establish  a  strain  which  will  be  able  to  stand  the  climate 
and  at  the  same  time  give  a  dressed  weight  of  within  ten  percent  of  our 
western  stock. 

The  cattlemen  are  also  experimenting  in  raising  corn  and  up  to  date 
have  been  very  successful  as  the  frosts  necessary  to  ripen  the  corn  are 
quite  frequent  in  Sao  Paulo  and  the  mountains  about.  The  greatest 
difficulty  the  cattlemen  have  to  overcome  is  the  labor  problem  as  the 
native  workmen  are  lazy,  shiftless  fellows,  who  will  work  fiercely  for  a 
few  hours  and  then  lay  off  until  their  wage  is  gone  either  to  the 
Government  lottery  or  in  one  of  the  many  private  gambling  houses. 
As  far  as  living  is  concerned,  they  have  only  to  scratch  the  soil  to 
get  enough  to  satisfy  their  needs  and  they  want  no  more. 

Sao  Paulo  we  found  to  be  a  great  shopping  center  and  here  many 
presents  were  purchased  for  our  friends  at  home. 

After  a  stop  of  three  days,  all  arrangements  having  been  made, 
we  boarded  the  private  car  of  President  Arthur  Owen  of  the  Sao  Paulo 
Railway  or  as  it  is  sometimes  called  Sao  Paulo  &  Santos  Railway,  and 
started  down  the  mountains  to  Santos  on  the  sea.  On  account  of  the 
very  courteous  treatment  accorded  us  by  President  Owen,  we  were  not 
only  privileged  to  ride  in  his  private  car  but  were  given  a  permit  to 
ride  in  front  of  the  engine  down  the  rope  incline  from  Alta  de  Serra  to 
Piassaguera  on  the  plains  below. 

Starting  out  from  Sao  Paulo  under  our  own  power,  we  travelled 
in  and  around  the  hills  enjoying  views  that  are  beyond  description. 
Many  of  the  knolls  were  completely  covered  with  Manaca  trees  in  full 
bloom  of  pinkish  purple  and  white  flowers  on  the  same  tree,  presenting 
to  the  eye,  a  great  bank  of  purple  flame  spotted  with  white.  The  flower 
is  very  similar  to  our  northern  dogwood,  in  fact,  the  white  blossoms 
could  be  quite  excusably  so  mistaken.  We  were  unable  to  go  to  these 
groves  but  were  informed  that  the  perfume  from  the  flower  was  very 
sweet  and  pleasing. 

At  Alta  de  Serra,  we  changed  engines  taking  on  one  which  had  a 
cable  grip  underneath  and  could  also  operate  under  its  own  power.  Five 
of  us  took  seats  in  front  of  the  engine  to  view  the  scenery  on  the  trip 
down  to  the  sea  level,  over  a  bit  of  railway  engineering  which  has  no 
equal  in  the  world.  Down  we  went,  held  back  by  the  great  wire  cable. 
On  either  side  and  in  front  of  us  were  the  most  entrancing  views.     Now 

page  thirty-four 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


a  great  bank  of  Manaca  bloom  with  clouds  scudding  across  the  top. 
We  round  a  curve  and  a  beautiful  green  valley  opens  to  our  view  only 
to  be  obscured  by  a  white  cloud  which  follows  the  wind  currents  while 
on  the  other  side  we  look  up  the  green  mountain  side  up  to  the  clouds 
which  covers  the  top.  An  hour  in  this  wonderland  and  we  reached 
Piassaguera  where  we  again  changed  engines  and  returning  to  our  car, 
proceeded  to  Santos  under  our  own  power. 

We  were  told  that  this  railway  was  built  under  a  joint  agreement 
with  the  Brazilan  Government  and  is  the  most  expensively  built  rail- 
way in  the  world  and  that  many  intricate  engineering  problems  were 
solved  before  it  was  completed.  The  road  bed  is  of  very  solid  con- 
struction and  the  right  of  way  is  a  mass  of  intricate  watersheds  and 
conduits  often  extending  far  up  the  mountain  side  to  take  care  of  the 
especially  heavy  rainfall  of  the  mountains.  The  cableway  passes  thru 
at  least  ten  tunnels  and  over  many  viaductos. 

The  railway  from  Sao  Paulo  to  Santos  is  only  forty-five  miles  long 
and  drops  two  thousand  five  hundred  feet  in  that  distance,  almost  the 
entire  drop  being  taken  care  of  by  the  cableway.  The  traffic  must  be 
heavy  as  all  the  goods  to  Sao  Paulo  and  all  the  coffee  from  the  state  of 
Sao  Paulo  which  produces  one  half  of  the  coffee  of  the  world,  must 
be  transported  over  this  line.  The  rate  of  fare  is  very  reasonable  as 
we  were  charged  only  $100.00  per  person  which  sum  in  our  money  at 
the  present  rate  of  exchange  amounted  to  $1.20.  An  extra  charge  was 
made  for  checked  baggage  which  brought  the  charge  up  to  $1.56  per 
person,  which  we  considered  very  reasonable  and  in  fact,  could  not  see 
how  it  would  be  possible  on  such  a  rate  to  pay  expenses. 

At  Santos,  we  were  met  by  the  Agents  of  the  Parque  Balneario 
where  we  were  to  spend  two  nights.  This  hotel  is  admirably  situated 
on  the  harbor  facing  the  open  sea  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  mosquitoes 
which  infested  the  hotel  in  swarms,  fighting  each  other  for  a  chance  to 
get  at  us,  we  would  have  had  a  delightful  time.  They  were  so  closely 
parked  on  our  bed  netting  that  the  circulation  of  air  was  impeded  and 
the  more  crafty  ones  crawled  under  the  beds  and  bored  up  thru  the 
mattress.  Under  these  conditions,  darkness  brought  on  a  fight  for 
existence  only  to  be  relieved  by  the  rising  sun. 

Near  the  hotel  was  a  Cinema  and  small  theater  both  of  which  are 
operated  to  bring  patrons  who  purchase  refreshments  but  more  espec- 
ially for  the  gambling  in  the  Casino  where  many  games  are  in  progress 
the  entire  night. 

The  beach  is  low  lying  not  unlike  our  beach  at  Daytona,  Florida 
and  is  used  by  automobiles  at  low  tides.     The  breakers  looked  so  invit- 

page  thirty-five 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Loading  Coffee  at  Santos 


rusr^e^ 


Bathers  at  Santos 


page  thirty-six 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


ing,  several  of  our  party  decided  to  take  a  dip  in  the  southern  sea  but  we 
found  the  water  so  warm  that  it  lacked  the  invigorating  snap  that  comes 
with  a  bath  at  Atlantic  City  in  the  summer  or  Florida  in  the  winter. 

We  were  privileged  to  meet  Mr.  Lawrence,  the  American  Consul 
and  Mr.  C.  E.  Demerest,  the  President  of  The  American  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  fine  gentlemen  both,  courteous  and  efficient.  They  were 
of  great  help  to  our  party  in  getting  the  official  red  tape  unwound  in 
order  that  our  entry  into  Argentine  might  be  successfully  accomplished. 

Mr.  Demerest  stated  that  the  Custom  House,  storage  houses  and 
docks  were  crowded  with  American  goods  not  yet  passed  and  that  the 
banks  at  Sao  Paulo  held  millions  of  dollars  of  Bills  of  Exchange  which 
the  consignees  have  refused  to  accept.  Some  of  the  consignees  have 
already  received  their  goods  and  now  refuse  to  pay  or  to  accept  the 
drafts  issued  against  them,  saying  that  they  would  pay  when  the  exchange 
rate  returned  to  normal  again.  The  more  conscientious,  however, 
delivered  their  Bills  of  Lading  to  the  banks  which  held  their  drafts  for 
acceptance  and  refused  to  take  the  goods  prior  to  an  agreement  with 
the  shipper  as  to  terms  and  basis  of  exchange.  He  stated  that  there 
were  four  hundred  automobiles  which  were  about  to  be  sold  for  freight 
and  demurrage. 

It  is  a  sad  state  of  affairs  and  has  as  usual  two  sides.  The  local 
side  being  that  the  Americans  held  up  the  execution  of  orders  to  take 
advantage  of  more  profitable  business  at  home  and  then  dumped  the 
goods  on  them  as  soon  as  the  slump  came  last  Fall  in  the  States.  In 
the  meantime,  the  rate  of  exchange  had  dropped  from  about  3  $500  to 
6  $500  for  a  dollar  which  quite  doubled  the  price  of  the  goods  to  them 
and  made  it  impossible  for  them  to  recoup  the  loss  in  the  resale. 

The  Americans  on  their  behalf  claim  that  their  southern  customers 
had  duplicated  and  oftimes  triplicated  their  orders  on  account  of  the 
demand  and  uncertainty  of  shipment,  hoping  to  cancel  when  enough 
had  been  shipped  to  fill  their  requirements,  and  now  squeal  when  they 
are   caught   in   their   own   game. 

Regarding  the  rate  of  exchange,  no  one  could  control  the  price 
and  the  customer  should  have  used  ordinary  business  precaution  and 
protected  himself.  Thus  the  arguments  go  pro  and  con,  the  goods 
however,  are  there  and  the  situation  is  being  used  by  merchants  and 
propagandists  of  other  countries  to  the  detriment  of  the  Americans. 

During  a  conversation  with  a  business  man  pertaining  to  general 
affairs,  he  stated  that  the  state  of  Sao  Paulo  gathered  in  a  normal  crop 
nine  and  one-half  millions  of  bags  of  coffee  weighing  one  hundred  and 
twenty  pounds  per  bag  or  a  total  crop  of  five  hundred  and  seventy 

page  thirty-seven 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


thousand  tons  of  coffee  valued  normally  at  about  6  cents  per  pound. 
It  was  his  opinion  that  business  would  be  bad  until  the  United  States 
commenced  buying  coffee  again. 

Confirming  our  experience,  he  stated  that  the  whole  country  was 
struggling  under  a  load  of  graft,  business  and  official  and  he  made  the 
startling  statement  that  Brazil  was  in  natural  resources,  the  most 
favored  country  in  the  world  and  were  it  not  for  the  official  graft,  Brazil 
could  pay  off  her  national  debt  easily  in  fifteen  years. 

There  are  many  delightful  car  rides  in  and  about  Santos,  one  of 
which  is  a  trip  along  the  ocean  and  bay  to  a  little  village  named  Sao 
Cerente,  far  out  in  the  suburbs  on  an  arm  of  the  sea.  It  was  here 
January  1532,  that  the  first  real  settlement  by  the  Portuguese  was  made 
in  South  America. 

The  docks  are  fine  and  while  there  is  uptodate  loading  machinery 
for  handling  coffee,  yet  in  dull  season,  you  may  yet  see  the  husky  natives 
struggling  under  the  heavy  bags  as  they  run  over  the  planks  from  dock 
to  ship. 

The  sewerage  of  the  town  is  taken  care  of  in  large  open  cement 
trenches  which  are  at  low  tides,  flushed  out  to  the  ocean  by  floods  of 
mountain  water  held  back  by  gates  until  ready  for  use. 

Santos  is  located  on  a  flat  plain  but  slightly  above  the  sea  and 
its  harbor  is  the  Santos  River,  At  the  entrance  to  the  river  is  the  re- 
mains of  an  old  Portuguese  Fort  which  was  built  several  hundred  years 
ago  and  only  used  now  as  a  make  believe  fort. 

On  Wednesday  at  16:00  o'clock  (4:00  P.  M.)  we  boarded  the  Royal 
Mail  Steamer  Arlanza  for  the  trip  to  Montevideo  and  Buenos  Aires. 
The  air  and  scenery  leaving  the  harbor  was  very  delightful  as  from  our 
commanding  position  on  the  upper  deck  of  the  Arlanza,  we  could  look 
over  the  house  tops  of  the  city  and  as  the  setting  sun  glowed  misty  purple 
in  the  west  and  the  lights  of  the  city  began  to  twinkle  into  view,  we 
bade  Farewell  to  tropical  Brazil  and  sailed  southward  toward  more 
congenial  temperatures. 

The  Arlanza  is  an  English  ship  which  during  the  war  was  used  as 
an  armed  Merchant  Cruiser,  being  commissioned  as  such  on  April  24th, 
1915,  and  entering  into  service  on  Northern  Patrol  only.  She  was 
damaged  by  a  mine  and  was  frozen  in  at  Yukanskie  and  Kola  Inlet 
from  November  1915  to  June  1916.  After  being  repaired  at  Belfast, 
she  was  commissioned  in  the  North  Altantic  convoy  service  where  she 
remained  until  the  armistice  was  signed. 

We  enjoyed  a  very  pleasant  three  day  voyage,  reaching  Montevideo 
early  in  the  morning  and  unfortunately  we  decided  to  continue  on  to 

page  thirty-eight 


THE    LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Montevideo 


Plaza  Indepencia 


page  thirty-nine 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


Buenos  Aires  which  gave  us  only  about  three  hours  to  view  the  town, 
while  a  week  might  be  spent  with  comfort  and  profit  in  this  beautiful 
clean  city  with  Rio  de  la  Plate  on  one  side  and  the  Atlantica  on  the 
other.  We  landed  at  the  Municipal  Pier,  a  large  open  space  well  paved 
with  docks  on  each  side  and  one  end.  Here  is  the  Customs  House  also 
the  reclaiming  and  recreation  departments  of  the  City  Government. 
The  great  open  space  being  used  as  a  recreation  ground  and  on  national 
holidays,  here  all  of  the  festivities  are  staged. 

We  soon  entered  automobiles  for  a  ride  about  the  city  over  Boule- 
vard Artegas  named  after  a  Uruguayan  hero,  Avenida  18th  de  Julio 
commemorating  the  date  of  the  signing  of  the  Proclamation  of  Independ- 
ence and  Avenida  8th  de  October  commemorating  the  date  of  the  signing 
of  the  Constitution. 

These  driveways  are  lined  with  trees  all  of  which  are  about  the 
same  height  giving  a  very  uniform  appearance.  The  trees  are  named 
Accer  and  look  very  much  like  our  Sycamore,  the  leaves  and  bark  being 
very  much  the  same  but  I  could  not  find  the  usual  seed  balls  or  button 
balls    that    we    find    at    home. 

Plaza  Libertad  and  Plaza  Independencia  are  well  laid  out  and  in 
the  center  of  the  city  connected  by  the  Avenida  18th  de  Julio. 

On  the  drive  out  to  the  ocean  front,  we  observed  Promenade  Wilson 
named  after  our  own  expresident.  All  of  the  drives  are  fine  roadways, 
well  paved  and  lined  with  artistic  Spanish  type  of  homes. 

Montevideo  is  the  capital  of  Uruguay  which  is  in  years,  the  youngest 
Republic  in  South  America  and  also  the  smallest  in  area.  Since  its 
formation,  it  has  been  a  hot  bed  of  insurrection  and  turbulence,  so  much 
so  that  up  to  the  present  time,  hardly  a  single  President  has  had  an 
entirely  peaceful  term.  Even  now  the  Colorado  (red)  of  Rivera  and 
Blanco  (white)  of  Oribe  are  the  colors  adopted  by  football  teams  rep- 
resenting political  parties  and  I  was  informed  that  all  other  types  of 
the  game  except  socker  were  prohibited  for  fear  of  violence  on  account 
of  closer  personal  contact.  Even  now  squads  of  soldiers  are  stationed 
about  the  field  when  the  Colorados  and  Blancos  meet.  Notwithstanding 
the  long  period  of  strife,  the  republic  shows  development  to  a  remarkable 
degree.  There  are  more  inhabitants  to  the  square  mile  and  the  main 
roads  thru  the  country  are  better  paved  and  improved  than  in  any  other 
country  in   South  America. 

Sailing  out  of  the  harbor  later  in  the  day,  we  had  a  fine  view  of  the 
Cerro  (hill)  overlooking  the  bay  and  after  which  the  city  is  named. 
When  Juan  Diaz  de  Solis  with  his  followers  in  the  year  1515,  approached 
the  coast,  he  saw  this  hill  and  called  out  'Monte  video",  (I  see  a  moun- 

page  forty 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


Plaza  Hotel 


page  forty-one 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


tain.)  This  expression  has  clung  to  the  locality  and  named  the  city 
which  was  long  afterward  founded. 

On  board  ship  again,  we  sailed  northwest  up  into  the  muddy  flow 
of  Rio  de  la  Plate  and  just  at  dusk  we  sighted  the  lights  of  Buenos  Aires, 
the  American  Paris,  against  the  glow  in  the  western  sky.  Arriving  at 
the  Municipal  Pier  late  in  the  evening,  we  expected  to  stay  on  the  boat 
that  night  but  being  informed  that  our  apartments  at  the  Plaza  were 
ready,  we  decided  to  occupy  them  at  once,  which  unfortunately  was  a 
mistake  as  it  caused  us  great  inconvenience  to  pack  our  belongings 
and  while  we  only  carried  our  hand  bags,  it  took  us  a  long  time  to  get 
thru  customs  and  up  to  the  Hotel. 

The  Plaza  Hotel  is  admirably  located  on  Plaza  San  Martin  and  we 
found  it  to  be  well  operated  but  woefully  lacking  in  bathroom  facilities, 
in  fact  the  bathing  facilities  were  so  limited,  that  we  decided  next  day 
to  move  to  the  Savoy  Hotel  where  ample  facilities  were  found  for  our 
entire  party. 

Sunday,  our  first  day  in  Buenos  Aires  should  have  been  enjoyed 
as  a  day  of  rest  but  learning  that  the  races  were  on  for  the  afternoon, 
we  quieted  our  consciences  or  those  did  who  had  any  left  and  immediately 
after  lunch,  started  for  the  Jockey  Club  race  track  as  the  races  were  to 
start  at  fourteen  o'clock  sharp  and  this  would  be  our  only  opportunity 
to  see  the  greatest  race  track  in  the  world.  It  would  be  folly,  indeed, 
for  me  to  attempt  to  describe  in  detail  the  drive  out  there.  Out  the 
Avenida  Alvear,  an  avenue  two  hundred  and  ten  feet  wide  at  the  widest 
part  with  three  roadways,  the  center  one  being  used  by  fast  moving 
automobiles  and  the  two  outside  roadways  by  horse  drawn  vehicles. 

Out  past  Parque  Alvear,  the  Recoleta,  the  Aqua  Corrientes  where 
all  of  the  water  used  in  the  city  is  filtered  and  purified.  The  Jardin 
Infantel,  the  Parque  3rd  de  Febrero,  the  Jardin  Zoologico  and  other 
small  parks  besides  many  well  kept  grass  and  flower  islands  in  the  center 
of  the  Avenida.  Between  the  parks  on  both  sides  especially  the  side 
facing  the  river,  are  many  palatial  homes  with  private  gardens  in  front 
competing  for  honor  with  the  public  gardens. 

At  the  point  where  the  Avenida  Sarmiento  crosses,  is  located  the 
most  beautiful  monument  in  the  city,  Monumento  de  Espana,  perhaps 
eighty  feet  high,  beautifully  proportioned  and  carved  from  pure  white 
marble  while  around  the  base  are  many  bronze  groups  emblematical 
of  the  part  which  the  people  of  Spain  have  taken  in  the  development  of 
the  city.  At  this  point,  the  name  of  the  parkway  is  changed  to  Avenida 
de  la  Vertey  but  its  beauty  continues  on  to  the  Hippodrome  and  past. 

page  forty-two 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


San  Martin  Monument,  Plaza  San  Martin 


Lola  Mora  Fountain 


page  forty-three 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


It  was  a  mad  rush  to  get  there,  each  driver  trying  to  pass  those  in  front 
and  all  hoping  to  return  to  the  city  for  another  trip. 

What  a  wonderful  sight  as  we  entered  the  special  grandstand  next 
to  the  one  used  exclusively  by  the  members  of  the  Jockey  Club,  with 
tickets  that  permitted  us  to  go  into  the  paddock.  Four  large  cement 
grandstands  besides  the  one  for  the  members  of  the  Jockey  Club,  each 
one  crowded  with  interested  spectators  and  the  space  out  in  front  liberally 
dotted  with  groups   of  excited  enthusiasts. 

Mounting  into  the  grandstand,  we  gazed  out  over  a  beautiful 
panorama  of  sport  and  garden.  There  are  three  tracks  and  the  center 
oval  was  laid  out  into  a  number  of  gardens  dotted  with  lakes,  on  the 
surface  of  whch  were  a  great  many  large  ducks  and  beautiful  white 
swans.  The  pathways  in  the  gardens  were  covered  with  a  reddish 
brown  gravel,  very  restful  to  the  eye,  which  with  the  blue  of  the  water 
and  the  dark  green  of  the  foliage  made  a  very  pleasing  picture.  As 
usual  the  lakes  contained  many  islands  connected  with  the  shore  by 
artistic  cement  bridges  always  of  rustic  design. 

We,  of  course,  must  try  our  luck  at  the  betting  booths  which  are 
located  just  at  the  rear  of  the  grandstands.  Tickets  are  sold  at  two 
pesos  each  and  you  may  purchase  as  many  as  you  like.  As  two  pesos 
in  our  money  was  less  than  seventy  cents,  we  were  privileged  to  start 
without  a  very  large  loss  in  view. 

There  are  hundreds  of  booths,  each  one  having  a  number  correspond- 
ing to  the  number  of  a  horse.  Selecting  the  booth  having  the  number  of 
the  horse  which  you  wish  to  place  your  money  on,  you  purchase  your 
ticket  on  the  horse  to  win  (ganador)  or  for  place  (place.)  Should  you 
be  lucky  enough  to  win,  then  you  must  take  your  ticket  to  a  correspond- 
ing cashier  window  and  get  your  money,  that  is  as  much  of  it  as  you  can. 
The  cashier  will  always  ask  you  how  much  your  winnings  are  and  should 
you  have  figured  it  less  than  the  proper  amount,  you  will  receive  that 
amount  promptly,  otherwise  there  will  be  an  argument.  Not  knowing 
how  to  compute  my  first  winnings,  I  solicited  the  help  of  a  bystander 
who  I  afterward  found  out  had  figured  them  two  dollars  short  either  by 
mistake  or  with  the  intent  to  divide  with  the  cashier.  While  he  was 
figuring  the  amount,  I  noticed  that  he  took  several  good  looks  at  a 
board  which  was  in  plain  view  in  front  so  after  a  little  study,  we  got 
wise  and  afterwards  always  demanded  more  than  we  could  get  and  after 
more  or  less  waving  of  arms  and  a  flow  of  "pidgeon  English",  com- 
promised on  the  proper  amount  knowing  all  the  time  we  could  get  no 
more  and  then  the  cashier  would  hold  out  five  or  ten  centavos  knowing 
that  we  did  not  have  the  time  nor  the  flow  of  language  to  get  it  all. 

page  forty-four 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Spanish 


French 


German 


page  forty-five 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


The  Jockey  Club  is  licensed  by  the  Government  to  operate  and 
ten  percent  of  the  total  betting  receipts  are  withheld,  one  half  being 
profit  to  the  Club,  the  other  one-half  being  turned  over  to  the  Govern- 
ment to  be  used  for  charitable  purposes.  It  is  commonly  reported  that 
the  club  is  an  exceedingly  wealthy  organization  with  so  much  money 
in  its  treasury  that  the  Directors  must  find  other  means  of  spending  it 
than  on  the  club  members  so  they  come  into  the  limelight  often  by 
making  large  donations  for  public  benefit.  The  Club  has  a  long  waiting 
list  who  are  willing  to  put  up  an  initiation  fee  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars 
gold. 

Our  party  was  honored  by  the  Intendente  Municipal  de  la  Capitol, 
Hon.  Jose  Luis  Cantelo,  who  sent  each  of  the  ladies  a  large  boquet  and 
each  of  the  gentlemen  his  card.  He  also  gave  us  an  audience  and  by 
his  order  the  Teater  Colon  Municipal  was  opened  for  our  inspection, 
all  of  which  we  appreciated  very  much. 

The  gentlemen  of  our  party  were  entertained  by  members  of  the 
American  Club  at  their  club  house  located  on  Calle  Florida,  opposite 
the  Jockey  Club,  and  were  also  invited  to  attend  their  regular  weekly 
luncheon  at  the  Plaza  Hotel  where  we  listened  to  a  very  able  speech 
made  by  Dr.  Naon,  the  former  Argentine  Minister  at  Washington, 
while  the  ladies  were  entertained  by  Mrs.  W.  K.  Ackley  at  her  summer 
home  just  outside  the  city. 

Buenos  Aires  is  beautifully  planned,  the  shopping  district  being 
bounded  by  Avenida  Santa  Fe  on  the  north,  Calle  25th  de  Mayo  on  the 
east,  Avenida  de  Mayo  on  the  south  and  Calle  Callao  on  the  west.  This 
section  has  the  Plaza  San  Martin,  the  Plaza  de  Mayo,  the  Plaza  Rio 
Pena  and  the  Plaza  Congress,  one  in  each  corner  with  several  smaller 
parks  scattered  within.  It  is  about  fifteen  blocks  square  and  is  closely 
built  up  with  buildings  housing  on  the  ground  floor,  stores  which  display 
every  variety  of  articles  attractive  to  the  shopper  which  may  be  pur- 
chased at  very  reasonable  prices.  One  must  use  judgment,  however, 
in  making  purchases  as  the  Argentino  merchant  is  a  shrewd  dealer  and 
you  may  read  in  the  glitter  of  his  eyes  "Caveat  emptor"  so  it  would  be 
wise  to  paste  in  your  hat  as  a  counter  irritant  "Caveat  vendor"  and  look 
at  it  often,  matching  the  wits  of  the  buyer  against  those  of  the  seller, 
before  you  conclude  a  bargain.  This  however,  can  be  said  to  the 
credit  of  the  merchants,  they  never  misrepresented  the  quality  of  their 
goods. 

Florida  is  one  of  the  best  shopping  streets  and  is  noted  not  only 
for  its  stores  but  also  for  the  fact  that  it  is  paved  with  asphalt  and  that 
there  is  no  street  car  line  on  it.     It  is  lined  with  many  fine  buildings, 

page  forty-six 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


Washington  Monument 


page  forty-seven 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


the  Jockey  Club  being  the  most  noted.  During  the  late  afternoon,  the 
street  is  thronged  with  pedestrians  and  during  this  time,  no  automobile 
or  other  vehicle  is  allowed  thereon. 

The  Avenida  de  Mayo,  a  very  wide  Avenue  which  connects  the 
Plaza  de  Mayo  on  the  east  with  the  Plaza  Congresso  on  the  west,  is  laid 
out  with  broad  sidewalks  and  the  broad  roadway  has  inlands  in  the 
center  which  divides  it  for  east  and  west  driving.  Here  are  many  hotels, 
the  sidewalks  being  used  in  many  places  especially  in  front  of  the  hotels 
as  refreshment  places,  being  covered  with  small  tables  where  coffee  and 
stronger  liquids  are  served.  This  section  is  dear  to  the  heart  of  the 
Frenchman  as  he  is  reminded  of  his  own  Capitol  at  home. 

The  monuments  of  the  city  are  artistic  and  beautiful,  the  newer 
ones  being  located  in  the  Palermo  district  on  either  side  of  the  Avenida 
Alvear.  The  Spanish  monument,  which  has  already  been  mentioned, 
is  the  center  of  the  group  of  monuments  erected  by  the  foreign  colonies, 
the  French  and  German  monuments  dividing  second  honors  and  the 
Washington  monument  which  was  erected  in  1910  by  the  then  small 
American  colony  making  a  very  creditable  appearance. 

Just  beyond  these  monuments  is  an  extensive  park  system  in  the 
process  of  development.  The  Avenida  de  los  Lagos  is  all  laid  out, 
graded  but  not  paved.  This  Avenue  skirts  a  series  of  small  lakes  on 
the  opposite  side  of  which  is  an  extensive  rose  garden.  Many  of  the 
bushes  still  retained  their  flowers  altho  the  season  was  passed.  Many 
of  the  parks  and  drives  are  planted  with  a  tree  called  Jacaranda  which 
shows  large  clusters  of  purple  flowers  in  form  not  unlike  the  Acacia. 

One  visiting  the  city  for  the  first  time,  should  not  miss  a  trip  thru 
the  Recoletta  Cemetery,  the  most  noted  in  the  city.  It  is  filled  with 
tombs,  some  of  which  are  very  elaborate  and  generally  ornamented 
with  artistic  statuary.  Underneath  the  tombs,  in  almost  every  case, 
is  a  large  chamber  where  the  body  is  placed  in  a  lead  sealed  coflSn  while 
above  is  an  altar  with  the  equipment  of  the  Catholic  faith. 

I  was  informed  that  a  body  must  be  buried  or  placed  in  a  vault 
within  twenty-four  hours  after  death  and  for  this  reason,  no  elaborate 
funerals  are  held  at  the  time  of  burial  but  on  the  first  anniversary  of 
the  death,  an  elaborate  memorial  service  is  held  and  on  each  succeeding 
anniversary  thereafter,  until  interest  wanes.  The  altars  are  supplied 
with  candles  which  are  burned  while  the  memorial  service  is  being  con- 
ducted. 

A  trip  up  north  into  the  river  district  to  a  place  named  Tigre,  is 
not  without  interest.     Here  is  located  the  Tigre  Hotel  and  the  Tigre 

page  forty-eight 


THE    LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Monuments 

and 

Statuary 

in 

Public  Parks 


page  forty-nine 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Recolleta 


page  fifty 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


On  Avenida  Alvear 


page  fifty-one 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 

3 


Statuary  on  Avenida  iVlvear 


Vendors  of  Sweets 


page  fifty-two 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


JV- 


'<^ 


i 


;  «|bjj^i|«p'^-«  j 


.' r. 


Monument  Commemorating  the  Independence  of  Argentine 


Our  party  in  Jardin  Zoologico 


page  fifty-three 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Club,  also  many  summer  homes.  I  would  not  recommend  the  locality 
for  residence  purposes  as  it  must  be  infested  with  mosquitoes. 

The  Tigre  Club  is  apparently  the  drawing  card  as  there  you  may 
play  any  stakes.  Sundays  and  holidays  are  the  special  occasions  altho 
every  night  during  the  season,  the  club  is  crowded  with  gamesters. 

Most  of  the  traveling  here  is  done  in  boats  and  there  are  many 
handsome  ones. 

Do  not  leave  the  city  without  a  visit  to  the  Jardin  Botanical  and 
especially  a  visit  to  Del  Jardin  Zoologico  Municipal  and  while  there 
meet  the  very  sociable  Directors,  as  they  treated  us  royally.  The 
Director  of  the  Zoo  gave  us  a  trip  all  thru  the  park  in  small  tramcars 
and  presented  each  one  with  a  photo  of  the  party  seated  in  the  cars  and 
the  Director  of  the  Jardin  Botanical  sent  to  the  hotel  for  each  lady  a 
potted  plant  of  a  variety  admired  by  the  ladies  while  in  the  garden. 

The  gentlemen  of  our  party  were  liberally  entertained  by  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  cigarette  factory  in  which  the  noted  Cuarenta  y  tres 
(43),  cigarette  is  manufactured.  The  President,  two  of  the  Directors 
and  the  Superintendent  gave  us  much  valuable  time  and  showed  us 
every  detail  of  the  process  of  manufacture  of  this  noted  smoke.  After- 
wards, three  cartons  for  each  visitor,  were  sent  to  our  hotel. 

It  was  in  Buenos  Aires  that  we  all  purchased  as  a  novelty,  Corbatas 
de  Papel  (neckties  made  of  paper.) 

Our  stay  of  ten  days  in  this  beautiful  city  was  altogether  too  short 
as  we  were  so  royally  entertained  and  viewed  so  many  interesting  public 
institutions,  that  we  were  loathe  to  leave.  Everyone  wished  our  stay 
could  have  been  longer. 

Our  thanks  were  expressed  to  our  friends  mentioned  and  also  to 
Mr.  L.  A.  Davis,  formerly  of  Cleveland  and  T.  L.  McArtney,  now 
residents  of  the  city  who  were  untiring  in  their  efforts  to  make  our  stay 
as  pleasant  as  possible. 

The  best  of  friends  must  sometimes  part  and  the  time  had  arrived 
when  we  must  pack  up  and  take  the  train  for  our  trip  over  the  pampas 
of  Argentina,  thru  the  mighty  Andes,  the  backbone  of  South  America, 
and  down  to  Chile,  the  Yankee  Republic  by  the  western  sea,  888  miles 
away. 

After  bidding  our  friends  Goodbye,  we  boarded  our  special  car  on 
the  Rapido  Internacional  early,  leaving  the  Retire  Station  at  8:30  A.  M. 
Shortly  after  leaving  Buenos  Aires,  we  found  ourselves  rushing  over 
the  mighty  pampas,  a  great  green  and  brown  level  plain  stretching 
away  to  where  it  meets  the  sky  on  the  horizon.  The  level  monotony  is 
broken  here  and  there  only  by  the  clusters  of  trees  around  the  building 

page  fifty-four 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Up  in  the  Andes 


page  fifty-five 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


The  Rugged  Andes 


Punte  del  Incas 


page  fifty-six 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


of  Estancias  as  we  were  passing  thru  a  great  cattle  raising  and  wheat 
growing    country. 

Many  great  flocks  of  ostriches  attracted  our  attention  and  we  were 
informed  that  they  were  permitted  to  run  wild  in  the  fields,  only  being 
rounded  up  in  feather  plucking  time. 

About  300  miles  out,  we  passed  thru  a  large  territory  covered  with 
lakes,  on  the  surface  of  which  floated  millions  of  swans  and  ducks,  while 
the  shores  were  usually  lined  with  cranes  and  flamingoes.  The  water 
did  not  appear  to  be  deep  and  the  lakes  were  undoubtedly,  slight  de- 
pressions to  which  the  excess  moisture  from  the  surrounding  territory 
drained.  Long  before  one-half  of  our  journey  on  this  line  was  finished, 
we  were  fast  asleep  in  our  comfortable  berths  as  we  had  to  rise  early  to 
change  from  our  broad  gauge  train  to  the  narrow  gauge  Transandine 
Railway  which  was  to  carry  us  from  Mendoza  thru  to  Los  Andes,  a 
a  daylight  trip  over  and  thru  the  mighty  Andes. 

Rising  early,  we  gazed  ahead  to  see  in  the  grey  of  the  dawn  far 
away,  what  looked  like  a  mass  of  crumpled  cones  rising  from  the  plain. 
These  were  the  foothills  of  the  Andes,  that  great  barrier  which  separates 
nations  and  stretches  for  thousands  of  miles,  forbidding  passage  to 
mankind,  except  by  mighty  effort;  a  barrier  thru  which  men  from  the 
north,  John  and  Matthew  Clark  bored  a  hole  ten  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea. 

Mendoza,  a  town  of  perhaps  60,000  population,  lies  at  the  base  of 
the  foothills  of  the  Andes.  Its  streets  and  public  plazas  are  lined  with 
trees,  all  artificially  cared  for  by  a  perfect  system  of  irrigation  as  the 
rainfall  is  practically  nil  and  yet  despite  this,  the  whole  territory  for 
miles  around  is  one  huge  vineyard,  24T0  feet  above  the  sea,  a  garden 
in  the  center  of  a  wilderness.  Wine  is  the  principal  product,  the 
vineyards  producing  2,500,000  barrels  of  wine  annually. 

We  soon  transfer  to  the  narrow  gauge  of  the  Transandine  train 
which  was  to  take  us  over  the  Andes  and  after  a  very  satisfying  break- 
fast, settled  down  to  view  the  wonders  of  this  rocky  way.  Following 
the  gorge  of  the  Mendoza  River  in  its  tortuous  course,  we  climbed  up  and 
up,  clinging  often  to  the  mountain  side  and  often  making  great  curves 
to  reduce  the  gradient  of  the  way.  Often  ascending  by  cog,  we  plodded 
onward  and  upward  reaching  Punte  del  Inca  where  we  stopped  for  a 
few  minutes,  giving  the  passengers  time  to  view  the  natural  bridge 
spanning  the  Rio  de  Las  Cuevas  whose  course  we  followed  almost  to 
the  summit  of  the  Cordilleras.  Off  to  the  north,  we  saw  the  great  white 
cone  of  Acongagua,  the  monarch  of  all,  rising  23,300  feet  above  the  sea. 

page  fifty-seven 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Method  of  Conveying  Liquors 


Method  of  handling  Paving  Blocks 


page  fifty-eight 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


We  were  here  honored  by  the  officials  with  a  liberal  display  of  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  along  side  of  the  sky  blue  and  white  of  Argentine. 

Leaving  Punte  del  Inca,  our  train  continued  by  cog  up  the  Paramillo 
de  los  Horcones  passing  over  the  high  level  bridge  that  spans  the  Rio 
Horcones.  This  Paramillo  is  the  moraine  of  an  enormous  and  ancient 
glacier  extending  downward  from  the  breast  of  the  giant  Aconcaqua 
which  one  may  see  up  the  valley  of  Rio  Horcones.  The  train  continued 
by  cog  up  the  narrow  gorge  of  the  Paramillo  de  las  Cuevas  until 
we  reached  Las  Cuevas  10,400  feet  above  the  sea.  Here  is  where  we 
left  the  old  Camino  de  los  Andes  as  here  the  old  trail  used  for  many 
centuries  before  the  coming  of  the  Spaniards,  ascends  to  the  Cumbre 
two  thousand  seven  hundred  feet  above  to  where  the  statue  of  Christ 
in  bronze  stands  on  the  summit  of  the  pass,  marking  the  boundary  line 
between  two  nations  and  declaring  forever  eternal  peace,  Argentine 
and  Chile  having  sculptured  on  the  base  of  the  statue  these  words, 
"Sooner  shall  these  mountains  crumble  into  dust  than  the  people  of 
Argentine  and  Chile  break  the  peace  which  they  have  sworn  to  maintain 
at  the  feet  of  Christ  the  Redeemer." 

The  tunnel  thru  which  we  passed  is  only  ninety  yards  short  of 
two  miles  long  and  we  were  in  Chile  at  Caracoles.  It  has  been  stated 
that  on  account  of  the  fierce  storms  on  this  side  of  the  Andes,  it  has  been 
necessary  to  build  huge  gates  at  the  pacific  openings  that  may  be  closed 
at  such  times;  in  summer  to  keep  the  oncoming  train  from  being  blown 
back  into  Argentine  and  in  winter  to  keep  the  snow  from  drifting  in 
and  filling  the  tunnel.  As  to  the  truth  of  this  I  am  unable  to  vouch  but 
after  seeing  the  conditions  I  could  be  easily  persuaded  that  the  statement 
was  not  an  exaggeration. 

From  Caracoles  to  Juncal,  we  passed  thru  what  is  perhaps  the 
grandest  rock  scenery  in  the  world.  Great  towering  sharp  pointed 
peaks,  some  of  them  white  with  snow,  loom  up  with  startling  outline 
against  the  blue  of  the  sky.  Down  we  went,  held  back  by  the  cog  machin- 
ery, on  the  right  we  caught  glimpses  of  the  beautiful  little  Laga  del 
Inca  and  soon  we  saw  it  plainly  as  a  beautiful  little  lake  resting  in  the 
lap  of  the  desolate  rocks  and  fed  by  the  water  from  the  melting  snow- 
banks far  up  on  the  mountain  sides. 

We  then  followed  the  Rio  Aconcagua  in  its  tumbling  course  to  the 
sea,  reaching  Santa  Rosa  de  Los  Andes  in  time  for  late  dinner.  Here 
we  changed  cars  to  the  broad  gauge  Chilian  State  Railway.  It  is  a 
three  and  one-half  hour  run  to  Santiago  and  we  branched  off  the  main 
line  at  Llai-Llai  reaching  our  destination  on  schedule  time.  We  thought 
that  the  Chilian  Railway  trains  were  run  with  more  pep  than  those  of 

page  fifty-nine 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


the  other  countries  thru  which  we  had  passed  as  they  appeared  to  be 
started  quickly  and  made  good  speed  between  stations,  giving  efficient 
and  uptodate  service  with  maximum  speed. 

Santiago  is  the  Capitol  of  Chile  and  boasts  of  a  population  of  over 
400,000.  We  arrived  late  Thursday  night.  Unfortunately,  our  first 
day  was  Good  Friday,  which  is  a  universal  holiday,  all  business 
places  being  closed  and  in  order  to  make  the  most  of  it,  the  banks  and 
principal  places  of  business  were  closed  also  on  Saturday  so  we  could 
get  no  Chilian  money  and  had  a  hard  time  to  scrape  together  enough 
to  pay  our  regular  tips. 

The  principal  sights  of  the  town  are  the  churches,  Santa  Lucia 
and  Cerro  San  Cristobal.  The  churches  are  wonderful  and  the  principal 
ones  such  as  the  Cathedral  were,  on  account  of  the  religious  holiday, 
attended  by  hundreds  of  the  faithful.  Santa  Lucia  is  a  huge  mass  of 
rock,  rising  several  hundred  feet  above  the  city  with  an  architecturally 
beautiful  entrance  for  pedestrians  who  may  stop  for  refreshments  at 
the  restaurant  part  way  up,  or  may  continue  on  to  the  top.  An  automo- 
bile drive  winds  up  at  the  rear  ending  at  a  large  tiled  open  space  about 
one  hundred  feet  below  the  top,  from  which  landing  a  foot  path  with 
many  steep  and  narrow  stairs  leads  to  the  summit.  Near  the  top  placed 
prominently  on  a  great  rock,  is  a  bronze  statue  of  Michimalonco  Casique 
del  Mapocho,  who  was  condemned  to  a  horrible  death  in  the  year  1540, 
by  the  gold  crazed  Spaniards.  The  subject  stands  in  a  crouching  posi- 
tion stringing  his  bow. 

At  the  top,  a  beautiful  view  may  be  had  over  all  points  of  the  city 
and  to  the  mountains  beyond.  To  the  west,  can  be  seen  San  Cristobal 
with  the  statue  Virgin  del  Cerro  San  Cristobal  at  the  summit.  The 
statue  was  placed  there  in  order,  it  is  said,  to  hold  the  mountain  as  the 
effects  of  great  land  slides  are  to  be  seen,  one  of  which  reaches  apparently 
nearly  to  the  base  of  the  statue.  The  base,  however,  is  well  anchored 
to  the  solid  rock  and  will  undoubtedly  fulfill  its  mission  unless  an  earth- 
quake shakes  it  down.  The  monument  is  over  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  high  and  in  its  base,  which  is  seventy  feet  high,  is  a  chapel  where 
pilgrims  may  rest  and  pray  away  the  fatigue  of  the  climb  of  over  nine 
hundred  feet  above  the  plain  below. 

At  night  the  statue  is  artificially  illuminated  by  electric  search 
lights,  the  light  being  reflected  from  the  glazed  surface  of  the  statue, 
bringing  it  out  clearly  to  the  view.  The  darker  the  night,  the  better, 
as  then  the  image  stands  out  clear  and  bright  with  the  appearance 
of  being  suspended  in  the  air. 

page  sixty 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


A  roadway  for  automobiles  and  foot  passengers  zig-zags  to  the 
top  where  the  views  over  the  city  to  the  west  are  unsurpassed. 

The  city  is  filled  with  many  small  parks,  not  as  well  kept  as  those 
of  Buenos  Aires  on  account  of  the  lack  of  rain  as  this  is  the  dry  season 
and  rains  do  not  commence  until  sometime  in  April  which  is  the  begin- 
ning of  winter.  The  trees  are  covered  with  dust  and  must  be  artifici- 
ally irrigated.  This  is  done  by  opening  water  mains  at  certain  places 
and  allowing  a  flood  of  water  to  run  down  along  the  curb.  At  each 
tree,  there  is  an  opening  in  the  curb  which  permits  the  moisture  to  reach 
the  roots. 

The  principal  Boulevard  is  Calle  de  los  Delicas,  running  completely 
across  the  city  ;  is  about  three  hundred  feet  wide  with  well  paved 
roadways  on  each  side  and  Parka  Serrano  running  down  the  center. 
This  park  has  many  monuments,  the  best  one  being  the  one  erected  to 
the  memory  of  the  Irish  Chileno  Hero  General  O'Higgins.  The  bronze 
horse  is  standing  on  its  hind  legs  ready  to  turn  a  back  somersault  while 
the  General  clings  closely  to  its  neck  with  sword  aloft  and  with  mouth 
open,  apparently  in  the  act  of  yelling  the  command,  "Up  and  at  'em'" 

During  the  time  we  were  in  Santiago,  many  soap  box  orators  were 
telling  their  hearers  all  about  "it".  I  could  not  understand  a  word  but 
enjoyed  the  orations  as  the  language  permits  a  very  beautiful  express- 
ion and  sounded  to  me  quite  like  poetry.  The  banners  displayed  in- 
dicated Labor  Union  and  socialistic  meetings.  Down  one  side,  a  relig- 
ious procession  with  the  usual  images  passed  slowly  between  the  throngs 
lining  both  sides  of  the  roadway.  Excepting  where  the  meetings  are 
being  held  a  religious  air  prevails,  the  women  are  without  hats  having 
instead  a  black  mantilla  or  veil  over  their  hair.  Everyone  desires  to 
see  it  all  but  does  so  in  an  orderly  manner,  dispersing  when  the  pro- 
cession has  passed. 

Pasted  on  the  outer  doors  of  the  Catheral  were  orders  forbidding 
any  woman  to  enter  with  a  hat  on,  yet  compelling  her  to  have  her  head 
covered.  The  head  covering  therefore,  usually  worn  was  a  black  lace 
veil  or  scarf  and  for  that  reason,  practically  all  the  women  on  the  street 
wore  this  head  dress. 

In  Santiago,  all  of  the  street  cars  are  double  deckers,  the  price  on 
the  upper  deck  being  one-half  that  of  the  lower.  The  cars  are  oper- 
ated by  women  who  wear  a  very  unbecoming  costume  consisting  of  a 
black  straw  slouch  hat  and  long  black  skirt  with  white  apron.  We  had 
a  special  car  trip  about  the  city  and  of  course,  we  all  rode  on  the  upper 
deck.  It  was  great  fun  for  the  youngsters  along  the  way  to  see  the 
Americanos  riding  up  where  only  the  very  poor  ride. 

page  sixty-one 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Vina  del  Mar 


Our  friends  on  Andes  Trip 


page  sixty-tu'o 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


We  visited  the  Cementerio  General  and  viewed  the  usual  Spanish 
method  of  burial  and  lavish  display  of  monuments  and  tombs. 

Reading  signs  was  one  of  the  methods  of  passing  the  time  between 
points  of  interest  and  it  was  often  quite  amusing  to  get  them  trans- 
lated and  then  learn  how  nearly  we  came  to  the  correct  meaning.  One 
sign  was  Se  Venden  Huevos  Friscos  and  inasmuch  as  it  was  painted  on 
a  one  story  building  where  cabinet  work  was  being  carried  on,  we  decided 
that  it  meant  "Wallpaper  for  sale".  However,  much  to  our  amuse- 
ment, we  learned  that  the  correct  translation  was  "Fresh  Eggs  for  sale". 

Santiago  is  an  old  town  having  been  founded  in  the  year  1541, 
by  Petro  de  Valdivia  and  did  not  make  much  headway  until  the  Indepen- 
dence of  Chile  was  declared  in  1810  since  which  time  it  has  made  rapid 
progress. 

Leaving  Santiago,  we  retraced  our  route  to  Llai-Llai  and  then 
from  there  down  to  Valparaiso  by  the  sea.  The  country  thru  which 
we  passed  was  very  barren  and  the  hillsides  were  covered  with  Organ 
Cactus.  As  a  relief,  we  saw  one  very  fertile  valley  where  herds  of 
cattle  were  up  to  their  knees  in  luscious  grass  and  here  water  was  un- 
doubtedly plentiful. 

Passing  Vina  del  Mar,  we  reached  Valparaiso  in  the  evening  and 
were  soon  located  in  our  rooms  at  the  Royal  Hotel  and  ready  for  dinner. 
Valparaiso  has  a  population  of  about  200,000  people,  founded  by  a 
Portuguese  Captain,  Bantiste  Pastene,  in  the  service  of  the  Spanish 
Navy,  on  September  3rd,  1543,  who  named  it  Valle  del  Paraiso  (Valley 
of  Paradise)  which  in  later  years  was  contracted  to  the  present  name. 

The  town  is  the  commerical  capitol  of  the  Republic  of  Chile  and 
lies  on  a  filled  in  flat  just  above  the  sea  backed  by  mountains  rising  to 
an  elevation  of  2000  feet.  There  is  no  room  for  expansion  excepting 
the  sides  of  the  mountains.  The  three  principal  streets  run  parallel 
with  the  sea,  the  cross  streets  ending  often  at  an  Ascendor  which  carries 
the  pedestrains  to  the  top  where  they  may  perhaps  get  a  street  car  or 
if  not,  then  climb  around  or  further  up  to  their  homes. 

From  the  top  of  any  of  these  elevations,  a  beautiful  view  of  the 
harbor  may  be  had  which  while  we  were  there,  was  as  quiet  and  peace- 
ful as  a  mill  pond.  A  large  number  of  ships  were  anchored  outside  and 
between  these  ships  and  the  shore  were  hundreds  of  anchored  buoys  to 
which  lighters  are  moored  while  waiting  for  the  cargo  ships. 

Several  former  German  ships  were  lying  on  the  rocks  along  the 
shore  having  been  driven  there  by  an  unusually  fierce  storm  a  short 
time  ago. 

page  sixty-three 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


Ascender 


Ox  Cart  for  use  in  City 


page  sixty-four 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


Valparaiso  notwithstanding  the  lack  of  space,  has  a  number  of 
fairly  good  parks.  The  Parka  de  Brasil  being  now  in  the  making  is 
destined  to  be  a  fine  place  for  both  automobiles  and  pedestrians.  In 
this  park  is  located  an  arch  surmounted  by  a  lion,  the  President  of  Chile, 
on  which  is  this  inscription  "A  la  Cindad  de  Valparaiso  La  Colonia 
Britanica". 

The  effects  of  the  earthquake  which  visited  the  city  on  the  27th  of 
August,  1906  and  of  the  fires  immediately  following,  may  yet  be  seen 
and  we  were  led  to  believe  that  our  hotel  on  account  of  the  changes  in 
levels  of  the  floors,  had  passed  thru  that  terrible  visitation  during  which 
three  thousand  persons  were  killed,  many  more  injured  and  a  hundred 
thousand  rendered  homeless. 

Vina  del  Mar  will  in  five  or  more  years  from  now  be  the  destination 
of  a  delightful  automobile  trip  but  now  it  is  a  rough  dusty  ride  on  a  hot 
day  and  should  it  rain  it  would  be  a  rough  muddy  ride.  The  engineers 
who  planned  the  drive  were  courageous  as  in  order  to  carry  out  their 
plans,  the  roadway  must  be  biased  from  the  side  of  the  mountains  and 
then  cemented  and  walled  up  in  order  to  protect  the  roadway  from 
falling  loose  stones. 

Vina  del  Mar  has  many  beautiful  homes  and  the  residents  may  take 
a  train  to  and  from  the  city.  However,  when  the  road  is  finished  it 
will  make  a  magnificient  drive.  There  is  a  bathing  beach  but  the  bathers 
must  be  careful  as  the  beach  slopes  abruptly  into  the  sea.  The  usual 
race  course  is  in  evidence  where  racing  is  held  on  all  holidays,  Sundays 
and  as  many  other  days  as  the  authorities  will  permit. 

Miramar  located  to  the  south  can  be  reached  conveniently  and 
comfortably  by  tramcar  along  the  rocky  coast  where  there  is  a  fair 
beach  and  plenty  of  bathers  during  the  summer  season. 

Our  boat  was  lying  two  miles  off  shore  at  anchor  waiting  for  the 
last  lighter  of  freight  to  be  placed  on  board  and  we  were  anxious  to  be 
abroad  to  start  on  the  last  lap  of  our  journey  sailing  almost  due  north 
along  the  western  coast  of  South  America.  Getting  aboard  our  launches, 
we  wind  in  and  out  among  the  hundreds  of  buoys  which  are  anchored 
so  closely  together,  one  would  think  there  was  hardly  room  enough  for 
the  small  boats  to  swing,  as  to  these  bouys  the  lighters  are  moored  while 
waiting  for  the  cargo  ships.  As  we  sailed  out,  we  gazed  back  at  the 
Valle  del  Paraiso  which  sits  upon  the  shore  of  the  grand  Pacific.  From 
the  edge  of  its  crescent  shaped  wave  washed  shore,  the  buildings  of  the 
town  rise  tier  upon  tier  up  the  slopes  of  the  hills,  behind  them  are  valleys 
and  higher  hills  sweeping  ever  upward,  and  away  into  the  foothills  of 
the  Andes. 

page  sixty-five 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


As  our  ship  weighed  anchor,  we  heard  the  thunder  of  guns  from  the 
fort,  firing  a  salute  to  a  Chilean  General  who  was  on  board  reminding 
of  the  stirring  times  thru  which  the  city  has  passed  since  Sir  Francis 
Drake  entered  the  bay  aboard  the  Golden  Hind  on  Dec.  4th,  1578,  on 
a  voyage  of  exploration  for  Queen  Elizabeth  and  the  many  visits  there- 
after by  romantic  buccaneers,  pirates  and  sea  rovers  who  made  the 
Valle  of  Paradise  their  Mecca  in  quest  of  booty  and  beauty. 

As  we  sailed  out  our  attention  was  called  to  the  shipping  board 
boats,  Agylla  and  Boobyalla  lying  at  anchor  in  the  harbor.  The  Agylla 
had  been  there  for  seven  months  and  the  Boobyalla  for  two  months 
both  with  full  crews  aboard. 

Mr.  George  Malcolm  Gorapertz  told  me  that  he  had  made  an  offer 
to  the  shipping  board  for  the  purchase  of  the  ship  Agylla  for  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  cash  but  inasmuch  as  he  could  get  no  decision  and 
that  his  opportunity  for  its  use  was  passing,  he  had  withdrawn  the  offer 
and  made  a  new  one  for  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  cash,  this  offer 
being  good  for  six  days  only  and  if  not  accepted  within  that  time  he 
would  not  purchase  at  any  price. 

The  wages  of  the  crews  average  one  hundred  dollars  American 
money  per  month  which  in  addition  to  their  board  and  the  upkeep  of 
the  boat  would  soon  "eat"  up  the  value  of  the  entire  plant. 

Our  first  stop  after  leaving  Valparaiso  was  at  Coquimbo  to  take 
on  board  a  gentleman  and  his  family  who  were  leaving  the  place  on 
account  of  the  hard  times.  He  was  Manager  of  a  copper  mine  some 
distance  back  of  the  town  and  on  account  of  the  lack  of  orders  had  shut 
down  the  mine  and  was  going  back  to  the  States  to  stay  until  the  demand 
for  copper  increased. 

We  did  not  go  ashore  at  this  point  as  the  stop  which  was  short  was 
made  very  early  in  the  morning. 

Our  next  stop  was  Antofagasta  where  we  arrived  at  10:00  A.  M. 
so  that  as  soon  as  breakfast  was  served,  the  boat  was  at  anchor  and  we 
were  at  liberty  to  land  at  once.  Antofagasta  lies  on  the  barren  shore 
of  a  crescent  shaped  bay  without  any  protection  at  all  from  the  western 
storms.  The  landing  procedure  was  rather  difficult  as  we  had  to  enter 
small  boats  from  a  landing  stair  let  down  from  the  side  of  the  ship. 
It  was  rather  dangerous  because  no  matter  how  quiet  the  sea  is,  there  is 
always  a  dead  swell  which  moves  the  little  boat  up  and  down,  making 
it  necessary  for  one  to  watch  his  opportunity  and  step  into  the  boat  at 
just  the  right  time.  We  all  reached  shore  without  mishap  except  a 
few  wet  feet  and  some  splatters  of  saltwater. 

On  landing,  we  entered  automobiles  in  waiting  and  were  driven 

page  sixty-six 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


south  along  the  barren  shore  to  a  Country  Club  located  about  five 
miles  away. 

We  were  then  taken  back  towards  the  city  and  up  to  the  foot  of 
the  mountains  to  Quinta  Casale,  a  summer  garden,  a  beautiful  restful 
place  and  as  far  as  we  could  see  it  was  the  only  bit  of  green  outside  of 
the  public  parks.  A  fine  luncheon  was  served  in  regular  Chilean  style 
and  we  thought  it  would  never  end,  expecting  after  five  courses,  the 
next  would  be  coffee  but  the  service  of  food  continued  until  fifteen 
courses  were  served.  Mr.  Colver  lost  track  of  the  time  and  after  taking 
a  little  nap,  ordered  hard  boiled  eggs  which  is  his  regular  breakfast  food. 
The  long  service  and  the  hard  boiled  eggs  seemed  to  please  the  party 
so  songs  and  dancing  were  indulged  in  between  the  courses  making  what 
is  ordinarily  only  a  time  of  eating,  a  time  of  enjoyment  which  was 
thoroughly  entered  into  by  all. 

After  lunch  we  were  driven  back  to  the  city  and  spent  several  hours 
looking  thru  the  shops  but  purchased  practically  nothing  as  this  is  a 
town  which  makes  nothing,  depending  for  existence  on  the  nitrate  mines 
located  in  the  interior. 

Antofagasta,  which  is  an  uninviting  place,  is  said  to  house  about 
thirty  thousand  people.  The  houses  are  low  and  shriveled  looking, 
built  mostly  of  wood.  The  streets  in  the  city  are  well  paved  and  fairly 
clean,  the  lack  of  grass,  shrubs  and  trees,  however,  give  it  a  desolate 
appearance  and  marks  the  beginning  of  a  different  atmosphere  from 
that  which  we  have  already  traversed.  Water  piped  to  the  city  from 
the  Cordilleras  ten  thousand  feet  above  the  sea  and  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  miles  away  must  of  course,  be  conserved.  Back  of  the  city 
rise  barren  rocky  hills  about  one  thousand  five  hundred  feet  high  with 
out  a  sign  of  life,  dark  brown  like  great  ore  piles  that  one  may  see  in 
miniature  on  the  docks  at  Cleveland  or  Fairport,  O. 

The  embarking  is  as  exciting  as  the  disembarking  and  a  bit  more 
dangerous.  After  a  ride  of  about  two  miles  thru  a  choppy  sea,  some  of 
us  felt  the  continued  swing  of  the  little  boat  and  therefore,  were  a  trifle 
upset,  making  our  footing  a  little  less  secure.  However,  our  party 
arrived  without  serious  mishap  altho  several  people  got  a  good  wetting 
and  one  lady  slipped  and  fell  into  the  sea  up  to  her  waist.  Strong 
hands,  however,  brought  her  safely  to  the  landing  stairs. 

Safely  on  board,  we  gazed  on  the  boats  bobbing  about  and  wondered 
at  the  skill  of  the  boatmen  in  handling  them.  Jumping  from  boat  to 
boat,  the  fletaros  would  clamber  up  the  stairs  like  monkeys,  bringing 
packages  aboard  or  looking  for  packages  or  passengers  to  take  ashore. 

We  surely  have  passed  the  gardens  of  the  east  and  south  and  have 

page  sixty-seven 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


now  entered  the  bleak  and  barren  territory  which  extends  north  for 
a  thousand  miles,  nothing  to  see  but  the  barren,  brown  mountains  rising 
in  rugged  peaks  and  bold  headlands  with  their  base  washed  by  the  salty 
sea.  The  lack  of  verdure  had  a  depressing  effect  as  even  the  so  called 
deserts  of  our  own  Arizona  are  garden  spots  in  comparison.  We  silently 
gazed  on  the  desolation  as  our  ship  weighed  anchor  and  pointed  her 
nose  northwards,  relieved  that  we  were  all  safely  in  our  temporary  home 
again  and  leaving  such  desolation  behind. 

Mejiellones  was  our  next  stop  where  we  were  to  take  on  several 
hundred  tons  of  tin  ore.  This  place  has  a  well  protected  harbor  and 
should  have  been  a  Government  station  but  the  men  who  had  the  politi- 
cal pull  bought  up  the  land  at  Antofagasta  and  convinced  the  Govern- 
ment that  it  was  the  port  at  which  to  erect  a  Government  station,  so 
Antofagasta  has  the  protection  and  prestige  of  Government  recognition 
and  help  while  Mejiellones,  a  far  more  desirable  spot  was  left  to  swelter 
in  the  dust  of  a  great  sandy  valley  which  stretches  inland  for  twenty 
miles  with  mountains  on  either  side  ending  in  bold  headlands  by  the 
sea.  The  streets  are  wide  but  unpaved  so  the  poor  beasts  which  pull  the 
loads  must  wade  thru  the  hot  dusty  sand  which  permits  the  wheels  of 
the  cart  to  sink  causing  a  continuous  "uphill"  pull. 

The  buildings  are  tumble  down  affairs,  built  mostly  of  wood  and 
sheet  iron  patched  in  places  with  rusty  sheets  of  what  were  formerly 
tin  cans.  Very  little  attention  is  given  to  the  roofs  as  rain  is  rare.  It 
is  said  there  are  now  grown  up  children  in  the  town  who  have  never 
experienced  the  effect  of  rain. 

Iquique,  our  next  port  of  call,  is  second  only  to  Antofagasta  as  a 
nitrate  shipping  port.  Water  is  piped  from  the  mountains  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  and  because  the  pipe  is  often  exposed 
to  the  rays  of  the  sun  or  lying  in  the  hot  sand  barely  covered,  the  water 
issues  from  the  faucet  at  almost  boiling  point,  however,  it  is  water  and 
makes  it  possible  to  have  green  in  the  parks  and  gardens. 

Iquique  supports  a  population  of  fifty  thousand  as  it  is  the  port 
of  entry  for  all  of  the  supplies  going  into  the  nitrate  district  of  Tarapaca. 

Soon  after  we  left  Iquique,  we  were  surprised  to  see  immense  flocks 
of  water  birds  flying  all  over  the  sea  or  hovering  over  and  diving  into 
schools  of  fishes.  At  one  point  we  ran  thru  a  great  flock  of  birds  covering 
the  water  for  miles  around,  diving  under  at  the  approach  of  the  ship 
only  to  be  buffeted  about  by  the  breakers  as  they  rose  to  the  surface 
amidship.  This  was  a  wonderful  sight  which  was  repeated  many  times 
as  we  proceeded  up  the  coast. 

We  arrived  at  Arica  late  in  the  afternoon  just  as  the  birds  were 

page  sixty-eight 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


seeking  their  resting  places  on  the  bold  headlands  along  the  mountainous 
shore.  Near  Arica  was  an  island  which  was  completly  covered  by  peli- 
cans the  odor  from  which  reminded  the  old  timers  of  the  chicken  coops 
on  the  farm. 

Here  on  a  bold  headland  just  south  of  the  city,  is  the  rocky  Morro 
where  seventeen  hundred  Peruvians  were  driven  into  the  sea.  This 
massacre  occured  on  June  7th,  1880  during  the  war  between  Chile 
and  Peru. 

Arica  is  the  seaport  for  the  Tacna-Arica  district  now  in  dispute 
between  Peru  and  Chile.  These  districts  are  agricultural  only  as  they 
lie  north  of  the  nitrate  fields.  They  are  of  no  particular  value  to  either 
country,  and  should  be  given  to  Bolivia  thereby  affording  that  great 
Inca  country  access  to  the  sea. 

There  is  nothing  of  interest  in  the  town  and  is  only  to  be  remem- 
bered by  us  as  the  last  Chilean  port  at  which  we  stopped  and  the  termin- 
us of  a  highway  built  by  the  Incas  a  thousand  years  ago  and  named  by 
the  Spaniards,  "Camino  Real."  It  is  still  in  use  and  llamas  and  burros 
are  used  to  carry  the  loads  to  and  from  the  sea. 

We  have  now  sailed  a  thousand  miles  from  Valparaiso  north  along 
Chile's  barren  rocky  coast,  the  last  two  hundred  miles  being  the  provin- 
ces of  Atacama,  filched  from  Bolivia,  as  the  spoils  of  the  war  of  1879- 
1881  and  Tarapaca,  Tacna  and  Arica,  taken  from  Peru.  Much  inter- 
national history  is  being  made  by  this  act  of  the  victor  in  an  unnecessary 
war  as  she  took  from  other  nations  valuable  lands  and  now  governs 
people  who  are  not  in  sympathy  with  her  rule.  The  land  thus  acquired 
by  Chile  is  known  to  contain  the  greatest  nitrate  deposits  in  the  world 
for  the  export  of  which  Chile  collects  annually  in  export  taxes,  the 
enormous  sum  of  fifteen  to  twenty  four  millions  of  dollars. 

Notwithstanding  this  huge  revenue,  the  finances  of  Chile  are  in  a 
deplorable  condition,  her  currency  is  based  on  national  credit  only  and 
fluctuates  extremely,  generally  holding  on  a  low  value.  This,  however, 
does  not  appear  to  disconcert  the  politicians  and  office  holders,  as  only 
a  short  time  ago,  a  report  was  circulated  that  Peru  and  Bolivia  were 
about  to  attack.  Mobilization  was  ordered  on  the  northern  boundries 
and  when  the  soldiers  arrived  there,  only  one  regiment  had  arms,  yet 
the  greater  part  of  six  million  dollars,  the  cost,  was  sifted  into  the  grafters' 
pockets. 

Regardless  of  the  advice  or  command  of  the  League  of  Nations, 
if  such  be  given,  Chile  will  never  turn  back  to  Peru  or  Bolivia,  the  lands 
which  she  took  by  force  and  should  the  wrong  ever  be  recompensed, 
it  will  be  by  force  or  some  turn  in  the  destiny  of  nations  as  occured 

page  sixty-nine 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


when  Alsace  and  Lorraine  were  again  taken  under  the  protecting  flag 
of  La  Belle  France. 

This  stand  will  be  maintained  notwithstanding  the  stipulation 
of  the  Treaty  of  Peace,  signed  in  1883,  in  which  Tacna  and  Arica  were 
held  subject  to  a  plevis  cite  of  the  residents  of  the  district  to  be  held  in 
1893.  No  vote  has  yet  been  taken  and  thirty-eight  years  have  elapsed 
since  the  signing  of  the  Peace  Treaty. 

To  fully  understand  the  mental  attitude  of  Chile,  you  must  under- 
stand that  the  Chilean  common  people  are  a  mixture  of  the  Spaniards 
and  Auracanian  Indians.  These  Indians  being  reared  in  a  temperate  zone, 
are  hardy  and  good  fighters  while  the  Peruvian  and  Bolivian  common 
people  are  half-breeds  from  the  Incas  and  subjected  tribes  with  less 
inclination  to  fight  but  with  greater  susceptibility  to  educational  in- 
fluences. 

Chile  has  a  number  of  fairly  good  warships  and  will  depend  on 
these  to  uphold  her  claims  when  the  time  comes  for  their  use. 

Chile  is  3,000  miles  long  and  from  one  hundred  to  three  hundred 
miles  wide.  North  of  Valparaiso,  very  little  rain  falls  and  the  coast  is 
devoid  of  vegetation  except  at  those  points  near  the  rivers  which  descend 
from  the  snow  clad  peaks  of  the  Cordilleras,  where  the  soil  can  be  artifi- 
cially irrigated  and  made  into  gardens  of  great  fertility.  On  south 
from  Valparaiso,  rains  become  more  and  more  frequent  until  it  is  almost 
continuous   in  the  extreme   south. 

On  board  ship  again,  we  soon  left  Chilean  waters  and  entered  those 
of  Peru,  stopping  at  Callao  the  harbor  for  Lima.  Arriving  early  in  the 
morning,  we  were  soon  released  from  quarantine  by  courteous  officials 
and  piloted  to  our  anchorage  by  the  harbor  pilot.  Taking  a  launch 
for  shore,  we  landed  at  a  commodious  landing  with  stairs  leading  down 
to  the  water.  Callao  is  a  low  lying  city  with  no  points  of  interest  except- 
ing the  long  low  point  of  land  extending  out  from  the  shore  ending  in 
bold  rocky  headlands  which  protect  the  harbor  and  make  anchorage 
safe  and   quiet. 

We  did  not  linger  long  here  but  took  the  steam  train  for  Lima 
eight  miles  inland,  traveling  up  the  south  bank  of  the  Rimac  River  which 
furnishes  enough  water  to  make  this  territory  a  veritable  garden  spot. 
All  of  the  fields  are  enclosed  with  mud  fences  about  four  or  more  feet 
high  and  probably  eighteen  inches  thick.  Here  we  saw  fields  of  cotton, 
which  at  that  time  were  in  full  bloom,  broom  corn,  with  stalks  at  least 
ten  feet  high,  banana  orchards  and  many  gardens  with  a  great  variety 
of  vegetables  all  supplied  with  life  giving  water  from  the  Rimac. 

page  seventy 


THE    LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


San  Martin  Monument 
Lima 


page  seventy-one 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


Lima,  while  named  The  City  of  Kings,  is  a  city  of  the  past  and  rests 
on  the  debris  brought  down  by  the  river  ages  ago.  The  streets  are, 
with  a  few  exceptions,  poorly  paved,  with  water  worn  rubble  from  the 
river  and  are  all  sadly  in  need  of  repair. 

On  account  of  the  absence  of  rain,  the  upper  surface  of  everything 
is  covered  with  dust  and  it  is  a  wonder  that  the  monuments  may  be 
seen  at  all  as  one  would  think  that  they  would  soon  be  completely 
enveloped  unless  the  wind  blows  the  dust  away.  Lima  is  quite  an 
important  town  as  here  all  the  freight  for  a  large  interior  is  handled  and 
from  which  copper  and  other  valuable  metals  are  shipped. 

We  made  our  headquarters  at  the  Hotel  Maury,  a  fine  old  rambling 
structure  covering  more  than  a  city  block,  always  full  of  guests  yet 
woefully  lacking  in  bathing  facilities. 

Entering  automobiles,  we  were  driven  about  the  city  first  visiting 
the  Plaza  de  Armas,  which  was  laid  out  by  Francisco  Pizarro  as  the 
center  of  the  city.  On  the  southerly  side  is  the  historical  Cathedral 
with  double  towers,  both  of  which  were  covered  with  cloth  as  repairs 
were  being  made  while  we  were  there.  History  informs  us  that  the 
murderer  Pizarro  laid  the  corner  stone  of  the  first  Cathedral  on  this 
spot  Jan.  18th,  1535.  The  first  building  was  destroyed  by  an  earthquake 
in  1746  and  was  immediately  rebuilt  on  the  same  spot  but  with  less 
magnificence  than  before. 

The  view  in  the  central  nave  looking  towards  the  altar  is  wonderful 
as  the  pulpit  and  choir  are  a  mass  of  artistic  designs,  carved  in  mahogany 
and  cedar.  The  altar  is  of  solid  silver  with  many  candelabras  of  the 
same  metal,  all  artistic  in  design  and  finish. 

In  the  interior  are  many  works  of  art  and  many  old  world  artists 
have  assisted  in  beautifying  the  walls  with  paintings  and  carvings  in 
wood  and  ivory.  One  must  visit  the  Chapel  of  the  Virgin  on  the  left 
as  you  enter  for  here  under  a  glass  case,  rests  the  alleged  mummified 
remains  of  the  notorious  Conquistador  Pizarro.  On  leaving  this  temple 
erected  to  the  Christian  faith,  it  is  customary  to  hand  a  coin  to  the 
attendant  who  conducts  you  around  and  if  this  be  overlooked  he  will 
remind  you  with  outstretched  palm  that  a  tip  is  expected. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  this  Plaza,  is  the  Government  Palace  and 
the  Municipal  Building.  Within  the  Plaza,  is  the  usual  band  stand 
and  exactly  in  the  center  is  a  bronze  fountain  probably  the  oldest  in 
South  America,  as  it  was  presented  to  the  city  in  1578. 

After  jolting  about  the  city  viewing  among  other  points  of  interest, 
the  Plaza  de  la  Inquisicion,  with  a  large  bronze  statue  to  San  Martin  in 
the  center,  we  proceeded  to  the  Avenida  9th  of  December,  formerly 

page  seventy-two 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


called  Passo  Colon,  a  popular  driveway  one-half  of  a  mile  long  and  at 
least  175  feet  wide  beginning  at  the  Plaza  San  Martin  which  is  a  circle 
in  the  center  of  which  is  a  monument  symbolizing  the  liberation  of  Peru. 
A  marble  shaft  extends  high  above  the  base  on  which  is  a  winged  female 
figure  representing  Glory.  General  San  Martin,  the  George  Washington 
of  South  America,  is  represented  proclaiming  the  independence  of  Peru. 
At  the  other  end  of  the  Avenida,  is  the  Plaza  Bolognesi,  also  a  circle 
in  the  center  of  which  is  a  monument  in  honor  of  Col.  Bolognesi  who 
fell  at  Arica  in  the  war  with  Chile.  The  statue  represents  the  hero 
sinking  from  a  mortal  wound  yet  still  holding  the  flag  of  his  country  aloft. 
Around  the  base  of  the  column  on  which  the  statue  stands,  are  sculptured 
many  allegorical  scenes  in  marble. 

Midway  in  the  Avenida  and  in  the  park  which  extends  down  the 
center,  is  a  statue  of  Columbus,  a  copy  of  which  is  located  at  Cristobal 
in  front  of  the  Washington  Hotel.  He  is  represented  as  the  Discoverer 
of  America,  which  is  personified  by  an  Indian  woman  kneeling  by  his  side. 

A  trip  thru  the  Zoological  Garden  is  of  interest  as  there  are  many 
cages  of  beasts  and  birds,  the  bird  enclosure  containing  a  pair  of  the 
famous  Condors  of  the  Andes.  Judgment  must  be  used  while  at  the 
enclosure  containing  the  Llamas  as  these  burden  bearers  have  a  habit 
of  showing  contempt  for  strangers  by  blowing  air  thru  their  teeth  often 
spraying  their  food  for  several  feet  about. 

The  park  covers  about  thirty  acres  and  just  at  the  entrance  is  a 
large  and  excellent  restaurant  maintained  by  the  proprietors  of  the 
Maury  Hotel.  Here  in  commodious  dining  rooms  or  on  airy  verandas 
all  of  the  delicacies  of  South  America  are  served.  Our  party  had 
luncheon  on  a  wide  airy  veranda  facing  the  garden. 

Lima,  notwithstanding  its  proximity  to  the  mountains  is  built 
on  a  level  plain  sloping  gradually  to  the  sea.  About  the  suburbs  are 
many  hills  rising  abruptly  from  the  plain  and  from  the  top  of  any  one 
of  these  hills  beautiful  panoramic  views  of  the  city  may  be  obtained. 

Before  the  coming  of  the  Spaniards,  the  Sierra,  that  part  lying 
between  the  parallel  mountain  ranges  was  held  by  Indians  of  the  Inca 
tribe  with  center  of  control  at  Cuzco.  Chiefs  of  that  tribe  had  extended 
their  control  north  and  south  along  the  heights  for  a  distance  of  many 
miles  extending  from  north  of  Quito,  south  beyond  the  Titicaca  basin. 
They  also  held  in  subjection  tribes  of  the  Pacific,  Littoral  and  Montana 
regions.  Their  commanding  position  and  the  use  of  Llamas  on  long 
journeys,  enabled  them  to  levy  tribute  of  gold,  silver  and  Sun  Virgins, 
the  precious  metals  being  used  as  decorations  in  their  temples  and  the 
female  captives  being  assigned  to  the  service  of  the  national  God. 

page  seventy-three 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


Method  of  Landing 
at  Mollendo 


page  seventy-four 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


In  the  year  1527,  the  Inca  Chief  Huayua  Coapac  died  and  im- 
mediately a  civil  war  broke  out  between  the  north  and  the  south, 
Atahuallpa  leading  the  northern  warriors  and  Huascar  leading  the 
warriors  of  the  south.  The  Spaniard  Francisco  Pizarro  who  had  made 
an  earlier  visit  to  the  Inca  country  but  feared  to  attack  the  Indians,  now 
believed  his  chance  for  murder  and  pillage  had  come  and  knowing  full 
well  the  untold  treasure  in  their  temples,  sailed  from  Panama  in  Jan- 
uary, 1531,  and  after  long  delays  and  much  privation  reached  the  Sierra 
in  the  vicinity  of  Cajamanca,  to  which  place  he  had  learned  Atahuallpa 
had  gone  after  many  victories  over  his  brother  Huascar. 

On  the  way  they  were  met  by  messengers  bearing  gifts  and  an 
invitation  from  the  powerful  ruler  to  visit  him.  The  Spaniards  reached 
the  city  on  Nov.  15th,  1532,  and  found  it  deserted  that  better  accom- 
modations might  be  furnished  the  distinguished  guests. 

The  next  day  accepting  an  invitation  of  Pizarro  that  he  should 
dine  with  him,  Atahuallpa  with  a  large  retinue  unarmed  came  in  royal 
state  to  the  Plaza.  Atahuallpa,  the  ruler  of  millions,  carried  on  a  litter 
made  of  pure  gold,  completely  cushioned  with  the  bright  plumage  of 
humming  birds,  was  carried  down  the  center  of  the  Plaza  toward  Pizarro 
and  his  less  than  two  hundred  followers,  most  of  whom  were  hidden 
behind  shrubbery.  In  place  of  the  courteous  greeting  which  he  had  a 
right  to  expect ;  he  was  met  by  a  Priest,  Father  Valverde,  who  commanded 
him  to  accept  the  Christian  faith  and  to  swear  allegiance  to  the  Pope 
and  the  Spanish  Emperor.  Upon  Atahuallpa's  indignant  rejection  of 
this  bold  and  insolent  presumption,  Valverde  called  upon  Pizarro  to 
make  an  assault.  Guns  boomed  and  the  cavalry  charged  upon  the 
defenseless  throng.  Instead  of  the  hospitality  proffered,  there  was  a 
scene  of  terrible  slaughter. 

Atahuallpa  was  pulled  from  his  brightly  colored  carriage  and  im- 
mediately imprisoned.  Fearing  that  he  would  be  murdered,  the  fallen 
monarch  told  the  Spaniards  that  he  would  give  them  great  quantities 
of  gold  and  silver  for  a  ransom  and  on  being  asked  how  much  he  would 
give  and  how  soon,  he  agreed  to  fill  a  room  twenty-two  feet  long  and 
seventeen  feet  wide  up  to  a  line  about  nine  feet  above  the  floor  with 
gold  jars,  pots  and  vases,  besides  nuggets  and  other  pieces  not  yet  shaped 
for  use.  As  for  sliver,  he  agreed  to  fill  the  room  full  to  the  roof  twice, 
undertaking  to  do  this  in  two  moons.  The  offer  being  accepted,  runners 
were  immediately  dispatched  with  orders  from  their  Chief  to  bring  in 
the  gold  and  silver  from  the  homes  and  expecially  from  the  Temple  of 
the  Sun. 

Atahuallpa  carried  out  his  contract  to  the  letter,  fifteen  million 

page  seventy-five 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Lifting  Steer  by  Horns 


Rocky  Coast 


page  seventy  six 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


dollars  in  value  of  gold  and  silver  was  delivered  and  then  the  poor  simple 
Inca  Chieftain  was  murdered  in  the  public  Plaza  not  by  an  assassin  but 
by  "Orden  de  Conquistador." 

On  the  day  of  his  execution,  so  Inca  tradition  runs,  the  top  of 
Cotopaxi  was  blown  off  and  left  just  at  the  snow  line  where  it  may  now 
be  seen.  It  is  called  the  Inca  Head  because  its  outline  bears  a  resemb- 
lance to  the  head  that  Atahuallpa  bore  so  proudly.  Many  millions  of 
gold  and  silver  never  reached  the  Spaniards  as  it  was  dumped  into 
bottomless  pits  or  as  some  historians  think,  into  Lake  Titicaca  so  as 
to  remove  the  menace  of  the  Spaniards  lust  for  gold. 

Francisco  Pizarro,  the  brutal  conquestador,  who  lived  by  the  sword 
was  assassinated  in  the  year  1541  by  the  followers  of  the  son  of  Almagro 
an  Ally  and  friend  whom  he  had  murdered. 

We  were  unfortunately  delayed  in  leaving  Lima  on  account  of  an 
unwilling  passenger  who  had  failed  to  have  his  passport  vised  and  who 
was  leaving  Peru  on  the  suggestion  of  those  in  power  that  his  presence 
was  not  to  their  liking  and  should  he  remain,  his  arrest  would  be  quite 
probable  and  then — Well,  he  decided  to  go — and  our  ship  was  not 
released  by  the  Lima  officials  until  he  was  safe  on  board  and  was  sure 
to  leave. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  as  we  sailed  out  of  the  harbor,  we  could  see 
the  great  fertile  plain  covered  with  many  green  fields  stretching  back 
with  slight  upward  grade  to  the  foothills  of  the  Andes.  A  garden  spot 
of  many  thousand  acres  watered  by  the  melted  snows  of  the  ice  clad 
Cordilleras. 

Mollendo,  our  next  stop,  is  a  small  town  located  high  on  the  rocks 
above  the  sea  without  the  pretense  of  a  harbor  so  that  the  swells  from 
the  ocean  run  straight  into  the  mole,  increasing  in  force  until  they  dash 
on  the  rocks  in  a  splatter  of  foam  reaching  far  up  the  rocky  cliff  almost  to 
the  houses  above. 

Standing  on  the  deck  of  our  ship  we  could  hear  the  roar  of  the  surf 
above  the  cries  of  the  fletaros  who  clamored  for  the  privilege  of  taking 
visitors  ashore. 

We  were  landed  from  our  boat  in  a  chair  operated  by  a  steam  whirley 
gig,  a  lady  generally  sitting  in  the  chair  with  the  men  clinging  on  the  out- 
side. One  of  our  ladies,  however,  not  to  be  outdone,  took  the  outside 
ride.  This  method  of  landing  is  far  more  comfortable  than  the  ordinary 
way  of  stepping  from  a  bobbing  boat  to  a  slipery  water  soaked  stair. 

Opposite  our  landing  place,  cattle  were  being  loaded  into  barges 
to  be  taken  out  into  the  harbor  to  cattle  boats.  The  cattle  were  handled 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  humans,  slings  however,  being  used  which 

page  seventy- seven 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


were  broad  and  while  not  comfortable  yet  caused  the  poor  brute  no 
injury.  We  only  saw  one  steer  lifted  by  its  horns  which  method  was 
quite  common  until  prohibited  by  law  some  years  ago. 

Our  next  stop  was  Salaverry,  a  port  of  shipment  having  only  a 
pier  extending  into  deep  water  and  a  few,  a  hundred  or  more,  dilapidated 
houses  located  on  an  absolutely  barren  sandy  shore  protected  by  a  high 
rocky  bluff  which  gives  protection  enough  to  make  a  fair  inner  harbor 
but  not  large  enough  for  our  ship  to  enter  so  we  anchored  outside. 

From  our  ship  we  could  see  the  swells  of  the  peaceful  Pacific  dash 
in  fury  at  the  base  of  the  rocky  headland.  Here  large  quantities  of 
raw  sugar  in  bags  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds,  are  transfer- 
ed  by  lighter  to  the  ships  anchored  outside.  We  took  on  board  two 
thousand  tons.  The  sugar  is  made  in  the  Chicama  Valley,  an  hour  by 
rail  inland.  Here  is  the  Casa  Grande,  admitted  to  be  the  largest  single 
producing  plantation  in  the  world  because  it  is  in  operation  every  day 
in  the  year.  This  plantation  is  with  others,  located  on  the  site  of  an 
old  civilization  older  than  the  Incas. 

Up  the  shore  can  be  seen  the  old  city  of  Trajillo  which  was  founded 
by  Pizarro  in  1535  near  the  ruined  capitol  of  the  Grand  Chimu.  No  one 
was  allowed  to  go  ashore  but  the  people  on  shore  were  allowed  on  the 
ship  and  the  fletaros  and  fruit  sellers  jostled  the  passengers  about  the 
deck.  Queer  regulations,  but  inflexible  because  had  we  gone  ashore, 
we  would  have  been  barred  from  entering  an  American  Port. 

All  of  this  territory  is  of  great  interest  to  the  explorer  for  here  it 
is  that  one  may  find  the  works  of  a  civilization  which  was  thriving 
while  the  people  of  Europe  were  yet  living  in  caves.  Walls  built  of 
granite  rocks,  some  of  which  will  weigh  twenty  tons  or  more  and  so 
carefully  sized  that  no  mortar  was  used  to  hold  them  in  place. 

All  of  these  great  works  were  built  before  the  Christian  era  and 
the  so  called  Megalithie  civilization  which  then  existed,  was  destroyed 
or  completely  assimilated  by  the  conquering  Incas. 

The  ancient  Megalithie  people  made  ornaments  of  gold  and  silver 
and  used  a  mixture  of  copper  and  tin  for  their  cutting  tools,  the  sup- 
position being  that  they  were  able  to  temper  or  harden  the  bronze  so  that 
their  edge  tool  could  be  used  for  cutting  their  food,  wood  and  even  rock. 

Up  in  the  secluded  valleys  of  the  Andes  where  there  was  perpetual 
summer,  they  terraced  the  hills  and  even  made  artificial  land  to  which 
water  was  conveyed  in  canals,  some  of  which  reflect  great  engineering 
ability.  It  was  here  that  the  potato  was  first  cultivated  and  developed 
into  an  edible  vegetable  and  from  here  spread  over  the  entire  world 

page  seventy-eight 


THE    LAND     OF    ROMANCE 


.A 


Loading  Sugar 


Buying  Hats 


Watching  the  Mail 


page  seventy-nine 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


bringing  untold  more  good  to  mankind  than  all  the  gold  and  silver 
stolen  by  the  Spaniards  from  the  graves,  ruins  and  temples. 

Just  north  of  Salaverry  was  the  headquarters  of  the  Chan  Chan,  one 
of  the  branches  of  the  Megalithie  people  and  in  the  Chicama  Valley 
may  now  be  found  ruins  and  other  evidence  of  a  very  advanced  civiliza- 
tion. 

We  remained  at  anchor  one  night  and  part  of  two  days  as  it  takes 
a  long  time  to  place  2,000  tons  of  freight  aboard  even  with  seven  winches 
working. 

At  sun  set  we  were  privileged  to  view  a  beautiful  sight.  The 
sinking  sun  was  burning  the  clouds  in  the  west,  covering  the  sea  with  a 
purple  vapor,  while  the  sand  hills  up  from  the  sea  glowed  a  greenish 
gray.  Every  contour  of  the  land  was  clear  cut  in  silhouette  against  the 
view  above,  ending  in  the  brown  mountains  far  away  while  above  all 
was  a  rainbow  reflected  from  the  mists  gathering  above  the  rocky  peaks. 
Down  in  the  harbor,  the  lights  began  to  twinkle  as  the  scene  above 
slowly  faded  into  the  shadows. 

Running  northwest  from  Salaverry,  we  passed  Cape  Parina,  then 
heading  into  the  north,  we  entered  the  path  of  the  chase  made  by  Sir 
Francis  Drake  when  he  captured  the  Spanish  heavily  laden  treasure 
ship.  Spain  was  sending  ship  after  ship  north  laden  with  gold,  silver 
and  other  precious  metals  when  in  the  year  1579,  Drake  that  pirate  and 
adventurer  of  Great  Britain,  arrived  on  the  western  coast  of  South 
America,  he  having  sailed  from  England  with  a  squadron  of  five  ships, 
four  of  which  were  lost  or  turned  back  before  he  reached  the  Pacific, 
leaving  him  with  only  one,  the  Pelican,  a  ship  of  one  hundred  tons 
which  he  as  a  good  omen  renamed,  the  Golden  Hind.  Putting  in  at 
Valparaiso  he  provisioned  his  ship  from  Spanish  storehouses  and  then 
sailed  bravely  up  the  coast  arriving  at  Callao  on  the  15th  of  February 
1579.  He  soon  learned  of  the  sailing  of  a  Spanish  treasure  ship  and 
immediately  with  every  inch  of  canvas  set,  gave  chase.  Sailing  before 
a  spanking  breeze  he  sighted  the  slower  Spanish  ship  off  the  coast  at 
Cape  San   Francisco. 

"Ho!  Ho!  and  a  bottle  of  rum!",  the  unsuspecting  prize  was  in 
plain  view  on  the  horizon.  Suddenly  the  wind  died  and  the  ships 
rested  on  a  quite  sea  with  not  wind  enough  to  bulge  the  sails.  Not  to  be 
daunted,  the  intrepid  Drake  ordered  his  boats  out  and  his  British  seamen 
straining  at  the  oars,  moved  his  ship  slowly  but  surely  towards  the  prey. 

The  Spaniards  seeing  the  danger,  had  their  boats  out  with  sailors 
sweating  at  the  oars  but  without  hope  as  their  ship  was  loaded  to  the 
water  line  with  its  precious  burden.     After  three  days  and  nights  of 

page  eighty 


THE    LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


Panama  Canal  Lock 


Closing  Gates  behind  our  Ship 


page  eighty-one 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


incessant  toil,  the  persistent  Drake  reached  the  goal  and  the  Spanish 
ship  and  treasure  of  three  million  pounds  sterling  were  in  his  grasp. 

Don  Francisco  de  Toledo,  the  Viceroy  of  Lima,  after  Drake's  hurried 
departure  from  Callao,  knew  his  intent  as  the  signs  are  "facil  de  leer" 
and  immediately  he  prepared  to  intercept  the  bold  marauder  at  the 
Straight  of  Magellan,  believing  that  Drake  could  only  return  to  England 
by  that  route.  Drake  knowing  full  well  what  would  be  in  store  for 
him  should  he  go  back,  sailed  north  along  the  North  American  coast 
hoping  to  find  a  passage  thru  America  but  gave  it  up  as  hopeless  and 
after  landing  at  a  bay  just  north  of  the  Golden  Gate  in  California,  now 
called  Drakes  Bay,  he  gave  his  ship  a  thorough  overhauling  and  then 
turned  its  prow  into  the  then  unknown  west. 

"With  the  fruits  of  Alladdins  garden  clustering  thick  in  her  hold, 
With  rubies  awash  in  her  scuppers  and  her  bilge  ablaze  with  gold, 
A  world  in  arms  behind  her  to  sever  her  heart  from  home. 
The  Golden  Hind  drove  onward,  over  the  glittering  foam." 
Drake  arrived  safely  at  his  home  port  on  September  26th,  1580 
and  was,  for  his  daring  feat,  knighted  by  his  Queen. 

Our  next  landing  will  be  at  Balboa,  Canal  Zone,  the  scene  of  the 
transhipment  of  the  great  treasures  of  the  Incas.  South  America  is  of 
the  past  and  we  looked  forward  with  great  expectations  for  a  view  of 
the  completed  Panama  Canal  which  many  of  us  had  visited  during  the 
period  of  its  construction.  Our  dock  was  not  reached  until  late  in  the 
evening  and  as  we  desired  to  sail  thru  that  great  artifical  waterway, 
we  could  only  spend  a  few  hours  after  dark  riding  about  the  city  of 
Panama. 

The  old  city  of  Panama  was  founded  in  the  year  1519,  by  Pedro 
Arias  de  Avila,  who  was  at  that  time,  Governor  of  Spain's  colony  estab- 
lished sometime  before  on  the  Caribbean  side  of  the  Isthmus.  The  name 
Panama,  which  means  fisherman  in  the  Indian  language  was  selected 
for  the  city  because  fishing  at  that  time  was  the  chief  occupation  of  the 
Indians. 

The  city  grew  in  wealth  and  importance  as  it  soon  became  the 
port  of  transhipment  of  the  enormous  wealth  in  gold,  silver  and  precious 
stones  which  was  poured  into  Spain  as  a  result  of  the  conquest  of  the 
great  empire  of  the  Incas  and  the  spoliation  of  the  temples  and  palaces 
of  the  rulers.  In  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  this  settlement  became 
the  richest  and  most  luxurious  city  in  the  then  known  world,  a  position 
that  was  relinquished  only  by  its  destruction  at  the  hands  of  the  roman- 
tic buccaneer.  Sir  Henry  Morgan,  in  the  year  1671. 

Two  years  afterwards,  the  present  walled  city  of  Panama  was 

page  eighty-two 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


Leaving  Lock  above 


Locomotive 


•fif!»«-i!lt.»3«i 


.^.^ 


One  of  many  Warehouses 


page  eighty-three 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


founded  on  the  coral  peninsula  below  Ancon  Hill  and  about  six  miles 
from  the  old  site. 

Since  my  first  visit  just  eight  years  ago,  there  have  been  many 
changes.  All  the  streets  are  now  well  paved,  the  main  business  streets 
have  a  car  line  and  there  has  sprung  up  an  air  of  importance  which 
elevates  Panama  above  the  unclean,  filthy,  ill-governed  place  which 
was  there  when  the   Americans   assumed  control. 

There  are  a  number  of  interesting  places  such  as  the  old  Cath- 
edral of  the  twelve  apostles  on  the  Plaza  Independencia — the  old  Fort 
facing  the  sea — the  ride  around  Ancon  Hill  and  the  well  paved  drives 
overlooking  the  city,  on  which  are  located  many  beautiful  residences 
all  with  screen  enclosed  verandas,  many  being  filled  with  orchids  and 
other  tropical  plants — The  palm  lined  drives  thru  the  hospital  grounds 
to  the  west  side  of  the  hill  with  fine  views  of  Balboa  and  the  harbor 
below. 

The  famous  flat  Arch  in  the  ruins  of  San  Domingo  Church  which 
is  said  to  be  the  longest  flat  arch  in  the  world,  built  two  centuries  ago, 
stands  as  a  monument  to  the  architects  and  builders  of  those  days  and 
a  convincing  proof  of  the  fallacy  of  the  dire  predictions  and  false  pro- 
phecies of  those  who  contended  that  the  locks  and  heavy  work  of  the 
Canal  were  in  danger  of  destruction  by  earthquakes. 

Early  the  following  morning,  we  were  on  our  way  passing  thru 
the  most  wonderful  artificial  ditch  in  the  world  connecting  the  waters 
of  the  Pacific  with  the  waters  of  the  Caribbean  Sea.  This  should  be 
the  Mecca  of  all  Americans  for  here  wonders  are  unfolded  which  are 
never   to   be   forgotten. 

After  passing  the  magnificient  docks,  we  sailed  north  from  Balboa 
and  proceeded  slowly  along  the  Canal  until  we  reached  Miraflores 
locks  where  by  a  flight  of  two  steps,  we  were  raised  two-thirds  of  the 
height  of  Gatun  Lake  and  entered  Miraflores  Lake,  a  small  natural 
lake  in  the  western  water  shed  of  the  Isthmus.  Passing  thru  this  lake, 
we  entered  the  Pedro  Maguel  lock,  a  single  flight  which  raised  us  to  the 
level  of  the  Culebra  Cut  which  we  entered.Sailing  over  the  surface  of 
water  now  where  eight  years  ago  some  of  us  walked  dry  shod  forty 
feet  below,  we  soon  entered  the  old  channel  of  the  Chagres  River  thru 
which  we  sailed  until  we  reached  Gatun  Lake  or  in  fact  until  we  reached 
the  Gatun  Locks  as  the  lake  is  only  an  enlargement  of  the  Chagres 
River  and  the  tributaries  flowing  into  it.  We  were  then  approximately 
85  feet  above  the  ocean,  passing  thru  tropical  scenery,  which  is  almost 
beyond  description.  The  land  is  undulating  with  rounded  knolls  and 
hills.     In  many  parts,  the  dense  tropical  vegetation  has  been  cleared 

page  eighty-four 


THE    LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


s^^ 


Gates  as  I  saw  them  in  1913 


page  eighty-five 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE  

off  so  that  the  hills  look  like  excellent  grazing  land.  Whether  or  not, 
this  has  been  done  for  strategic  reasons,  it  should  prove  profitable  from 
an  economic  standpoint,  as  all  of  the  cattle  for  use  in  the  Canal  Zone 
could  be  fattened  there. 

An  old  saying  is  "Water  never  runs  uphill",  yet  here  we  find  salt 
water,  water  from  the  Pacific  Ocean  or  the  Caribbean  Sea,  eighty  five 
feet  above  its  former  resting  place.  Carried  up  thru  the  locks  to  Gatun 
Lake,  it  has  made  the  water  of  the  greater  part  of  the  Canal  quite  as 
salty  as  the  ocean. 

The  Canal  including  the  two  lakes,  forms  a  waterway  fifty-one 
miles  long  running  thru  the  center  of  what  is  known  as  the  Canal  Zone 
which  is  ten  miles  wide,  five  miles  on  either  side  of  the  center  of  the  Canal. 

The  United  States  paid  the  Panama  Government  which  was  a  pro- 
visional affair  by  proclamation,  seceding  from  Columbia  in  November, 
1903,  ten  million  dollars  for  the  territory  and  agreed  to  pay  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars  per  year,  after  ten  years  of  occupation. 

The  Zone  covers  an  area  of  four  hundred  and  forty  eight  square 
miles  and  is  under  the  complete  control  of  the  United  States  Government, 
excepting  only  the  cities  of  Panama  and  Colon,  where  only  nominal 
control  is  recognized,  excepting  in  times  of  disturbances,  the  United 
States  reserves  the  right  to  maintain  order  and  further  to  demand  clean- 
liness within  the  confines  of  these  cities.  The  United  States  further 
guarantees  to  maintain  the  independence  of  the  Republic  of  Panama  and 
the  sovereignity  of  Panama  over  all  her  territory  outside  of    the  zone. 

The  Locks  of  the  Canal  are  marvels  in  concrete  construction.  There 
are  six  pairs  of  them,  each  lock  being  one  thousand  feet  long,  one  hundred 
and  ten  feet  wide  and  about  seventy  five  feet  in  depth.  Each  lock  is 
furnished  with  inner  gates  so  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  use  the  full 
length  of  the  lock  for  ships  under  five  hundred  feet  in  length. 

The  Great  Dam  which  impounds  the  waters  forming  Gatun  Lake, 
is  eight  thousand  feet  long,  two  thousand  one  hundred  feet  wide  at  its 
base,  four  hundred  feet  wide  at  the  water  level  and  one  hundred  feet  wide 
on  its  crest  which  is  thirty  feet  above  the  mean  lake  level  and  one  hundred 
and  fifteen  feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  dam  contains  twenty-two 
million  one  hundred  thousand  cubic  yards  of  rock  and  earth. 

Gatun  Lake  covers  an  area  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  four  square 
miles  and  contains  at  mean  water  level,  two  hundred  and  six  billion 
cubic  feet  of  water  supplied  from  a  water  shed  of  one  thousand  three 
hundred  and  twenty  square  miles. 

At  Colon,  we  found  a  city  which  had  made  wonderful  strides  during 
the  last  few  years.     The  city  is  clean  with  well  paved  streets  and  has 

page  eighty-six 


THE    LAND    OF    ROMANCE 


Draying  in  the  West  Indies 


Picture  taken  in  1913 


page  eighty-seven 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


many  shops  where  all  sorts  of  trinkets  may  be  purchased.  We  made  our 
headquarters  at  the  Washington  Hotel  which  is  located  out  on  the 
shore  of  the  bay  or  harbor  formed  by  the  breakwaters  which  our  Govern- 
ment has  built  as  a  protection  to  the  entrance  to  the  Canal. 

This  hotel  is  a  delightful  place  and  would  make  an  ideal  resort 
for  a  winter  vacation.  Connected  with  the  hotel,  are  large  spacious 
gardens   and   an   immense   swimming   pool. 

The  docks  and  storage  houses  at  Balboa  and  Cristobal  are  the 
largest  and  finest  I  have  ever  seen  outside  of  New  York.  All  of  the 
best  loading  and  unloading  machinery  is  installed  there,  thereby  permit- 
ing  the  handling  of  transhipments  at  minimum  expense. 

We  sailed  in  the  early  evening,  passing  out  into  Lemon  Bay,  the 
harbor  of  which  is  protected  by  Toro  breakwater  and  which  commences 
at  point  Toro  and  extends  northeast  for  a  distance  of  over  two  miles. 
Another  breakwater,  tho  much  smaller,  extends  out  from  the  Colon 
shore.  These  two  breakwaters  form  a  complete  protection  to  this  end 
of  the  Canal  from  the  violent  north  winds  which  frequently  visit  this 
coast  and  also  reduces  to  a  minimum,  the  amount  of  silt  washed  into  the 
Canal. 

It  was  quite  dark  as  we  passed  out  into  the  Carribean  Sea.  We 
were  on  the  last  part  of  our  trip  and  no  further  landing  was  to  be  made 
until  we  reached  New  York.  Sailing  straight  into  the  north,  we  passed 
thru  the  Windward  Passage  between  Cuba  and  Haiti.  Cuba,  the 
El  Dorado  of  the  Bahamas,  extends  from  Cape  Maisi  on  the  east,  north 
west  curving  south  eight  hundred  miles  to  Cape  Antonio  on  the  west. 
Its  average  width  is  less  than  sixty  miles  and  no  point  on  the  island 
is  more  than  forty  miles  from  the  sea. 

Cuba  has  many  safe  and  commodious  harbors,  the  one  at  Guanta- 
namo  Bay  being  held  by  the  United  States  as  a  Naval  Station  where 
our  boys  are  trained  in  the  arts  of  war. 

It  has  been  said  that  Cuba  is  the  sugar  storehouse  of  the  world 
as  each  year  this  little  island  turns  out  millions  of  tons  of  sugar,  rivers 
of  sugar  flow  out  and  rivers  of  gold  flow  in.  Sugar  is  not  the  only  wealth 
producer  for  Cuba  as  tobacco  is  grown  there  in  great  quantities  and  pure 
Havana  tobacco  is  in  demand  the  world  over. 

Less  than  three  million  people  on  forty-five  thousand  square  miles 
of  fertile  land  with  exports  amounting  to  four  hundred  dollars  per  capita. 
It  is  little  wonder  that  during  the  world  war,  millionaires  sprang  up 
in  such  numbers  that  they  could  not  be  accommodated  in  Havana  so 
new  territory  was  opened  up  to  supply  this  ever  growing  class  with 

page  eighty-eight 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


This  Shovel  is  9  ft.  above  Canal  Bottom  1913 


Unfinished  Approach  to  Lock  1913 


page  eighty-nine 


THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


residence  sites  suitable  to  their  new  dignity  and  obtainable  at  a  price 
only    within   their   resources. 

The  islands  of  Cuba,  Santo  Domingo  and  Porto  Rico  show  clearly 
the  effects  of  good  Government  as  compared  with  governments  frequently 
destroyed  by  revolutions.  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico  have  long  been  free 
from  the  evils  of  revolutions  while  Santo  Domingo  which  has  long  been 
under  revolution's  evil  influence  is  now  being  compelled  to  be  good  and 
notwithstanding  the  propaganda  of  the  outsiders  or  would  be  revolution- 
ists and  our  own  social  uplifters  and  yellow  sheets,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that 
the  beneficient  grasp  of  Uncle  Sam  will  not  be  relinquished. 

We  arrived  in  New  York  on  scheduled  time  and  after  landing  and 
giving  evidence  of  having  no  liquor  in  our  baggage,  we  were  quickly 
passed  thru  the  Customs,  thereby  completing  a  trip  which  should  be 
taken  by  every  American  citizen  who  is  able  to  do  so. 

Since  my  return  I  have  been  asked  many  times  for  my  opinion  of 
the  countries  in  South  America  and  in  reply  am  pleased  to  record  here 
the  impressions  received  during  my  visit  in  Brazil  and  Argentine. 

Brazil  is  a  great  tropical  country  with  a  population  of  27,000,000 
covering  3,292,000  square  miles  including  the  water  shed  of  the  mighty 
Amazon  and  its  tributaries  as  well  as  parts  of  other  water  sheds  running 
to  the  east  and  to  the  south.  There  are  immense  deposits  of  iron  ore 
which  carries  68%  iron,  the  richest  ore  deposits  now  known  and  extensive 
enough  to  supply  the  needs  of  the  world  for  many  years. 

There  are  immense  areas  of  virgin  forest  lands  as  yet  unexplored. 
Untold  mineral  deposits  lie  undeveloped.  The  rubber  tree  grows  in  the 
tropical  low  lying  land  and  if  necessary,  it  can  be  cultivated  the  same 
as  the  coffee  tree  is  cultivated  when  the  needs  of  the  world  demand  such 
treatment.  Coffee  is  produced  in  immense  quantities  and  at  least  sixty 
per  cent  of  the  world's  supply  is  furnished  by  Brazil.  A  normal  years 
output  is  six  hundred  thousand  tons,  twelve  pounds  of  coffee  for  each 
one  of  the  population  of  the  United  States. 

In  the  south  and  west,  large  quantities  of  Matte,  the  South  American 
Tea,  is  gathered,  cured  and  exported  to  the  amount  of  76,000  tons. 
Sugar  is  also  produced  but  not  as  extensively  as  before  the  slaves  were 
freed.  In  the  year  1915,  Brazil  took  32%  of  her  imports  from  the 
United  States  and  shipped  42%  of  her  exports  to  the  U.  S. 

The  government  of  Brazil  is  as  progressive  as  any  government 
can  be  and  the  people  are  law  abiding  and  peaceful.  No  revolution  has 
ever  disturbed  their  peaceful  progress  unless  the  change  overnight  when 
Dom  Pedro  II  left  Brazil  and  a  Republican  form  of  government  was 
adopted,  could  be  called  a  revolution. 


page  ninety 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


The  Sentinel  at  Panama 


page  ninety-one 


THE    LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


On  May  13th,  1883,  by  royal  decree  issued  by  Dona  Isabel  then 
Princess  Regent,  slaves  to  the  number  of  one  and  one-half  millions 
were  made  free. 

Brazil  is  now  quite  without  racial  prejudice,  the  former  slaves 
having  an  equal  opportunity  with  their  former  masters.  The  native 
Indians  who  have  adopted  civilization  together  with  the  African  and  the 
people  of  southwestern  Europe,  are  slowly  being  amalgamated  into  a 
virile,  strong  minded  race.  There  being  no  color  line,  the  "will  to  do" 
is  the  yard  stick  which  measures  all  alike. 

At  the  time  of  my  visit,  Brazilian  currency  as  compared  with  the 
American  dollar  had  depreciated  fully  50%  due  to  the  fact  that  America 
was  not  then  buying  coffee  from  them  on  account  of  being  overstocked 
and  no  coffee  could  be  sold  in  Europe  because  Europe  had  no  money  to 
buy  with. 

The  Brazilian  gentleman  is  a  gentleman  in  every  respect,  at  all 
times  extremely  courteous,  in  fact,  some  of  their  customs  pertain  more 
to  the  ballroom  than  to  outdoor  life. 

Brazil  does  not  need  coal,  as  water  power  everywhere  is  waiting 
for  development  so  that  electricity  can  be  used  for  cooking  or  even  for 
heating  if  necessary.  Coal  of  a  low  grade,  however,  is  found  in  the  state 
of  Rio  Grande  which  after  being  crushed  and  compressed  into  brick- 
ettes,  is  quite  extensively  used. 

Argentine  is  a  wonderful  country  covering  an  area  of  1,153,119 
square  miles,  mostly  agriculturial,  with  no  highlands  except  the  foot- 
hills of  the  Andes.  It  presents  over  almost  its  entire  area,  a  great 
level  plain  with  rich  soil  from  three  to  thirteen  feet  deep  and  needing  no 
artificial  fertilization  excepting  in  Patagonia  where  the  plains  are  of 
sand  and  gravel  and  require  irrigation. 

Argentine  is  a  rich  country  and  is  making  rapid  strides  forward. 
It  has  a  population  of  9,000,000  one-fifth  of  which  live  in  or  near  Buenos 
Aires.  The  Rio  de  la  Plata,  considered  the  entrance  or  front  door  to 
South  America,  is  formed  by  the  junction  of  the  Parana  and  Uruguay 
Rivers  which  with  their  tributaries  drain  all  of  Northern  Argentine, 
Western  Uruguay,  all  of  Paraguay  and  the  southern  portions  of  Bolivia 
and  Brazil. 

The  Argentines  celebrate  the  25th  of  May  as  the  birthday  of  the 
Republic,  as  the  beginning  of  the  Republic  was  made  on  May  25th, 
1810  by  the  citizens  of  Buenos  Aires.  For  85  years,  the  country  was  in 
a  revolutionary  condition,  fighting  among  themselves  and  with  others 
so  that  no  real  progress  was  made  until  about  25  years  ago  when  the 
country  really  found  itself  and  started  on  the  road  of  progress. 

page  ninety-tuo 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


Argentine  raises  great  quantities  of  wheat,  oats,  corn,  alfalfa,  lin- 
seed and  a  considerable  tonnage  of  sugar.  Great  herds  of  cattle  may 
be  seen  everywhere  dotting  the  broad  pampas,  fattening  on  the  succu- 
lent guinea  grass. 

The  population  of  Argentine  is  made  up  of  Spanish,  Italian,  Ger- 
man and  French.  In  later  years,  however,  many  have  come  from 
Southeastern  Europe. 

Labor  unions  are  very  arrogant  and  often  assert  themselves  in  such 
a  way  as  to  cause  the  government  "to  sit  up  and  take  notice."  At  such 
times,  a  firm  attitude  with  a  little  shooting  soon  gets  the  disturbers 
back  to  earth  and  to  as  near  normal("y  as  is  possible.  The  continual 
catering  to  labor  unions,  however,  gives  the  country  a  very  insecure 
position  and  makes  strikes  and  like  coercive  methods  very  common 
and  much  to  the  detriment  of  industrial  progress.  Here  the  Bol- 
shevist holds  sway  and  is  only  restrained  when  he  meets  the  government 
in    open   conflict. 

The  people  are  courteous  and  gentlemenly  but  rather  haughty  and 
given  to  speak  unkindly  of  those  who  do  not  meet  their  ideals. 

The  money  of  Argentine  had  depreciated  about  50%  as  compared 
with  the  TJ.  S.  dollar  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Argentine  holds  an 
immense  gold  reserve.  Argentine's  position  in  the  world  war  was  not 
of  a  high  character,  not  caused  by  the  voice  of  the  people  but  by  the 
action  of  the  President  who  refused  to  put  the  vote  of  Congress  into 
effect,  a  curious  position,  professing  and  proclaiming  "Argentine  for 
Humanity!"  yet  suffering  insult  after  insult  without  action.  The 
Argentine  Minister  at  Washington  was  so  chagrined  over  the  dilatory 
tactics  of  the  President  that  he  resigned  his  office  and  returned  to  Buenos 
Aires  and  is  now  spoken  of  as  a  probable  candidate  for  the  Presidency. 

As  between  Brazil  and  Argentine,  the  balance  would  favor  Brazil 
and  in  my  opinion,  Brazil  will  be  the  first  to  recover  from  the  effects  of 
the  depression  caused  by  the  World  War, 

The  people  of  Brazil  and  Argentine  should  be  among  our  best  friends 
and  I  believe  they  know  it  is  to  their  best  interests  to  be  friendly  with 
their  big  sister  of  the  North.  The  propagandist,  however,  is  at  work 
and  does  not  hesitate  to  point  to  the  depreciated  exchange  as  an  evi- 
dence of  Yankee  duplicity.  "They  depreciated  your  money  which 
compels  you  to  pay  double  price,  we  never  did  that  nor  would  we  do 
such  a  mean  trick."  The  educated  man  knows  better  but  can  only  see 
what  has  happened  and  is  quite  human  in  wishing  to  have  the  blame 
placed  somewhere  so  without  correcting  evidence,  the  Yankee  is  blamed. 

The  Englishman  who  should  be  our  best  friend,  plays  against  us 

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THE     LAND     OF     ROMANCE 


openly,  working  every  trick  to  discredit  us.  He  never  misses  an  oppor- 
tunity to  state  that  America  came  into  the  war  after  the  Germans  were 
beaten  and  did  no  good  and  grows  indignant  when  he  reasons  that  the 
loan  made  by  the  United  States  to  England  should  be  cancelled  at  once 
without  any  payment  whatsoever  of  interest  or  principal.  He  loses 
sight  of  the  fact  that  England  took  the  most  of  the  German  colonial 
empire  as  part  payment  for  their  expenses.  He  sees  America  as  a 
formidable  competitor  and  wishes  to  block  progress  in  everyway  possi- 
ble. England  and  the  United  States  should  be  to  each  other  "a  biggest 
and  best  friend," 

The  exporter  from  the  United  States,  doing  business  with  the  south- 
ern republics,  should  study  the  people  more  closely  either  by  residence 
or  frequent  trips  and  should  use  every  endeavor  to  cultivate  closer 
business  relations,  using  care  to  ship  the  quantity  specified  on  the  orders 
and  following  closely  all  instructions  as  to  boxing  and  marking. 

The  manufacturers  of  the  United  States  do  not  seek  to  dominate 
the  South  American  export  field  by  reason  of  the  geographical  or  fi- 
nancial advantages  which  the  United  States  enjoys.  We  only  ask  a  fair 
opportunity  to  demonstrate  on  a  competitive  basis  United  States  pro- 
ducts which  are  conceded  to  be  the  equal  of,  if  not  superior  to,  those 
manufactured  in  European  and  Asiatic  countries.  Besides,  the  United 
States  affords  a  market  for  the  products  of  her  sister  Republics  of  the 
south  and  we  believe  that  from  a  reciprocal  standpoint  Americans 
generally  would  profit  by  adopting  "America  for  Americans"  as  their 
slogan. 


page  ninety-four 


THE    LAND    OF     ROMANCE 


W.  D.  Sayle 


page  ninety-five 


